Ever wondered why the sky is blue or how friction works? For all the science buffs out there How Science Works will surely interest you.

By DK Publishing, this book is a part of the publisher’s series on ‘How Stuff Works’, which comprises relevant scientific information that sure can come in handy during conversations and woo your friends! It is a good reference book for people of all ages and an ideal one for students, teachers and parents.

I liked the fact that the book is packed with information on scientific phenomenon, interesting illustrations and definitions. It can serve as a quick go-to guide for students and teachers alike — mainly because of the diverse information on different sciences, ranging from energy and forces to artificial intelligence. The book claims to cover over 70 topics on energy, life sciences, technology, physics, chemistry and more.

I personally liked the simple and to-the-point explanation of the water cycle — which I never understood back in school. Guilty! The book explained the process in an easy-to-understand manner with vivid illustrations and imagery that will get even the most inattentive amongst our siblings, friends, students (for teachers) and children (for parents) to pay attention. If your parents continuously talk about upping your or your siblings’ science game, this is a must-buy book if you are in middle school.

I suggest one uses How Science Works as a handbook rather than making it a bedtime read. The extensive information presented in the book may be a little too much for some to digest late at night. And the frequent descriptions may be annoying for some people. But like I said before, it needs to be read with a plan since most of us simply can’t afford an information overload in our lives!

A major plus is the way the book is organised. How Science Works is neatly divided into sections, i.e. matter, life, space, earth and so on. It uses simple jargon and illustrations to answer basic scientific questions and concepts. In its entirety, the book is ideal for a thorough understanding of scientific phenomenon. I recommend this book lying around in your study — it is definitely a book which students and adults can make use of!

For all you curious people out there – you may want to grab some other interesting titles in DK’s ‘How Stuff Works’ series.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 17th, 2021