Simple language and appealing illustrations combine to elucidate the tricky concept of force in this solid Let's-Read-and-Find-Out offering. Bradley's narrative builds in complexity from the simple to the sophisticated to discuss reciprocal forces, friction and gravity--including a nicely comprehensible explanation of the gravitational force that exists between any two objects, not just the earth's. The reader takes the position of experimenter with a direct second-person address, using universally kid-friendly examples to illustrate Newtonian physics: "If you push a toy car, it pushes back against you with the exact same force. . . . If you push the toy car, your force makes the car start moving. So if the toy car is also pushing you, why don't you start moving? Because you are so much heavier than a toy car." Meisel's happily multicultural cartoon cast of kids puts toy cars, real cars and big brothers through a variety of scenarios, in a visually harmonious accompaniment to the text. A concluding spread introduces an activity that will allow kids to test differing amounts of friction--using toy cars, of course. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr. 1-3. This volume from the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series takes on the relatively abstract idea of forces. A little longer and more complex than most texts for the series, this one starts with a common childhood experience, pushing toy cars across the floor--and gradually--introduces ideas such as forces, reactions, inertia, friction, and gravity. That's a lot to explain in a short book, and some of these concepts are difficult to simplify. To her credit, Bradley, the author of Energy Makes Things Happen (2003), does grapple with fundamental concepts rather than taking the easier, more traveled, less-satisfactory road of, say, talking about gravity in terms of up and down or simply describing its observable effects. Colorful line-and-watercolor-wash illustrations brighten the pages. The final spread offers instructions for a simple activity leading to a better understanding of friction. A practical starting place for understanding forces. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist

Short declarative sentences explain the basic principles of force: push-pull, friction, and gravity. To illustrate, cartoon-style children engage in lively activities demonstrating forces around them--from catching falling apples to pushing against an automobile--as the text delivers its instructive message. A simple experiment ends the book. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.