In this hilarious story about a couple of clever mice on a quest for a
tasty treat, readers get a "paws-on" introduction to six simple
machines.
Ginger and Mac are pros at snatching up delicious tidbits and bringing
them back to their cozy mousehole to eat. Today, though, their mission
is complicated. Their target is an especially aromatic vanilla cupcake
with pink buttercream frosting. Only, it's (a) too big for them to
carry, (b) on a high counter within leaping distance of both the
resident cat and dog and (c) under a heavy glass cake dome. Luckily,
these mice love nothing more than solving a challenging problem (except
maybe eating buttercream frosting!). Ginger is sure they can use simple
machines to get the job done. But is she right?
Bambi Edlund has created a fun way to teach children about the basic
concepts of mechanical physics. Ginger and Mac's adventure story is told
in panels with dialogue boxes, while the science behind how simple
machines work is explained throughout the story in fully illustrated
sections that never interrupt the flow of the narrative. The result is a
highly entertaining book that gives readers a clear and
easy-to-understand overview of the six simple machines - inclined plane,
lever, pulley, wheel and axle, screw, and wedge - and how they make life
easier. It's sure to inspire readers to search for examples of simple
machines that exist all around them. With loads of hands-on activities
that can be done at home or in the classroom, this is an excellent
choice for teaching elementary physics and engineering.
