Photos of objects beyond the detection of the human eyeAeither because they are infinitesimal, too large, too far away or hidden inside the human bodyAare reproduced with remarkable clarity in Simon's (Destination: Jupiter) insightful volume. The author keeps his text to a minimum, explaining succinctly each image featured and the methods and instruments used to capture them, including compound microscopes, fiber optics, CAT scans, MRIs, thermograms and high-speed photography. Only occasionally does the narrative become overly technical for the targeted audience, as in a description of the magnification of subatomic particles in motion. Even the creepy pictures (a head louse magnified 320 times; and plaque and tartar on the surface of a tooth, magnified some 2,700 times) will attract readers. From a three-dimensional picture of a virus, as seen through an electron microscope, to a dramatic photograph of the vast Eagle Nebula, a star-forming region of the Milky Way galaxy, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, these images are awesome in every sense of the word. Ages 5-up. (Aug.)

Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Grade 4-8-Simon has collected an impressive assortment of photographs presenting images that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They include pictures taken through a telescope, through a microscope, magnetic resonance images, CAT scans, scanning electron micrographs (SEMs), time-stopping shots taken with strobes, and aerial and satellite photography. The text serves primarily as extended captions to the photos, providing information on the ways the pictures were taken and a basic explanation of what the images represent. The large, bright illustrations are beautifully reproduced and present some fascinating views of the world. The subjects range from the very small, such as the head of a bedbug, to the very large and far away, as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. This book would work well with an adult who wants to share the wonders of science with young children. Older elementary students will be able to read it on their own, although the striking presentation will also appeal to younger browsers.

Jeffrey A. French, Euclid Public Library, OH

Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Gr. 3-6. Simon directs his readers' attention to images of "hidden worlds," a phrase that he interprets broadly. A picture of a spiked virus, invisibly small before the invention of electron microscopes, is here enlarged to extend beyond the boundaries of the large, double-page spread. The inside of a human heart is seen through an endoscope using fiber-optic tubes. A bullet, caught in the flash from an electronic strobe, is photographed at the instant when it rips through a playing card. An infrared photo, taken from the Landsat satellite and color enhanced by computer, shows details of the Nile River Delta. A picture of Jupiter's red spot, photographed by a passing spacecraft, reached Earth via radio waves. At times the text seems torn between discussing what we are seeing and explaining how the image was made. More emphasis on technique would have made this a stronger, more coherent book, but anyone who comes across it will happily browse through the intriguing and sometimes awesome pictures collected in this handsome volume. Carolyn Phelan

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.