How Do Seesaws Go Up and Down?

Do you ever wonder why seesaws go up and down, how bigger bicycles seem to go faster than smaller ones, or how a flag goes up the pole when one pulls down on a rope? Well, kids wonder all those things. Simple machines such as pulleys and levers and even screws are something most adults take for granted, but kids are curious about how things work. They want to know things like why a car can’t drive up the side of a mountain in a straight line and instead has to go back and forth over and over in order to accomplish that drive. This wonderful book is packed with information about six simple machines — Wheel and Axle, Wedge, Lever, Screw, Inclined Plane, and Pulley — and how they work. The text written by author Jennifer Shand sets up fun guesses for how these things might work, followed by good explanations of the real answers. Illustrator Srimalie Bassani has completed the explanations with excellent diagrams and cute drawings. The last six pages are a kind of review of all the earlier information, using both illustrations and photographs that show several examples of each machine. This is a perfect introduction to simple machines.