I’m in love – or, better yet, my son is in love! We’ve had the opportunity to review graphic science books on all sorts of topics that are fun and easy to read. Comic book style science sounds really fluffy doesn’t it? Believe it or not, the Max Axiom series is full of “real” science that goes deep enough to be appropriate for any upper elementary/early middle school child. My son is a less-than-zealous textbook reader. (Picture eyes glazing over and giant yawns.) After reading – or being read to – from a textbook, he recalls very little of the information. Over the years, I’ve turned science into hands-on unit studies and supplemented with lots of library books, which has worked quite well. During one of these unit study times, I came across Max Axiom and wanted to know more. I found that Capstone Press offers many, many Max Axiom books, and boy were my son and I excited! Twenty-four books total cover the areas of biology/botany, chemistry, physical and earth science. In each book, Max Axiom (a scientist with super powers), goes on an adventure to learn all about the topic at hand. He can shrink to the size of bacteria and whiz through the human body, or go back in time to learn more about a famous scientist of the past. All of this in a 32 page comic book! (When I say comic book, don’t think of flimsy pages, these are “real” books.) http://thecurriculumchoice.com/2011/07/max-axiom-graphic-science-books/
Meet Max Axiom, a superhero scientist who leads readers into the renewable energy unknown in this attention-grabbing, educational graphic novel. Max is an atypical persona. He’s African American and bald. His lab coat enables him to travel in the space-time continuum. Max is also super intelligent and possesses the ability to shrink down to the size of an atom to better explore his scientific inquiries. In Refreshing Look, Max traces the energy source for household electricity and finds it to be a coal-fired power plant, which of course is a major environmental pollutant. This leads him to investigate renewable energy. On a snazzy gliding plane, one-person kayak and even a surfboard, we find our protagonist traveling to interview Bill, a solar-powered home owner, about his solar collector and electric panel; Carlos, an employee at the Grand Coulee Dam which generates hydroelectric power; and Jane, a proud driver of an ethanol-fueled vehicle. Wave power off the coast of Portugal, wind turbines in Texas, solar farms in California’s Mojave Desert, and Iceland’s collection of geothermal energy are also covered, as are in the in-depth ways these processes function. And Max isn’t one to shy away from the nitty gritty issues. He’s clear that even with dams, fish may get hurt, but that scientists are trying to solve such quagmires. One such solution is a fish ladder. Let’s just say, I liked this publication over Onion Juice, Poop, and Other Surprising Sources of Alternative Energy. Max can also be found exploring the world of genes, hurricanes, chemical reactions, and much more in the Graphic Library series http://vegbooks.org/index.php/2010/12/28/a-refreshing-look-at-renewable-energy-with-max-axiom-super-scientist/
What if you were able to impart solid science in a way that would be interesting to learn? Say, with graphic-novel style illustrations, and a super-cool, super-powered, super-scientist? That's the basis for this series from Capstone Press that seeks to make science accessible to the youthful student. Mild-mannered Maxwell J. Axiom of Seattle, Washington, was on a wilderness hike one day when an all-purpose lightning bolt imbued him with abilities to shrink down to the size of an ant or ride on a sound wave. In addition, he exhibited an appetite for knowledge that took him to the ends of the earth to procure degrees in many fields of science. Now, he is ready to use this combination of capability and comprehension for the good of the world. With "going green" the popular sentiment of the day, A Refreshing Look at Renewable Energy with Max Axiom, Super Scientist looks at the sources of energy which can be naturally replenished, and reasons for using them. The book is broken down into four sections and features inset boxes which address vocabulary, interesting facts, and famous people. In "Section 1 - Where Does Energy Come From?" Super Scientist Max Axiom constricts his size to be able to follow an electrical line back to its point of origin. Bopping through the neighborhood Family Circus-style, our wee scientist demonstrates various ways in which we use energy on a daily basis. Reaching the source we see a coal-fired power plant, where an explanation of fossil fuels takes place, along with how that generates electricity. The greenhouse effect and pollution are described as the negative aspects of burning these plant and animal remains. Back to normal size, in "Section 2 - What Makes Energy Renewable?" Max Axiom pilots a powered hand-glider past coal, oil, and natural gas refineries while pointing out their limited supply. Contrasting this are renewable supplies of energy available via sun, wind, water and resources derived from crops. Max lands on the front lawn of a gentleman who explains how he uses solar panels to heat his home and produce electricity. Kayaking up the Columbia River, in "Section 3 - Large-Scale Renewable Energy" Max arrives at the Grand Coulee Dam where a helpful engineering explains how electricity is generated through hydropower. Back in his knarly glider, Max flies over Iceland, where geothermal energy is harnessed from heat deep inside the earth. Then, it's on to Texas, where a ginormous wind farm catches the breeze in its mighty turbines. Returning to his logo-coordinated kayak, Max paddles off the coast of Portugal to witness what looks like giant sausage links converting captured waves into electricity. Finally, Max wanders into California's Mojave Desert to view large-scale collection of solar power through a system using giant curved mirrors and pipes filled with oil. Alternative fuels are highlighted in "Section 4 - New Roads in Renewable Energy." Jane "keeps it clean" by pumping ethanol into her car, a fuel derived from corn. Methane gas nabbed from landfills can be burned like natural gas. Dependence on fossil fuels is frowned upon. "More About Renewable Energy" concludes the book by summing up the topic in about a page and a half of bullet points. Other select titles with Max Axiom, Super Scientist Investigating the Scientific Method The Shocking World of Electricity The Basics of Cell Life A Crash Course in Forces and Motion The Attractive Story of Magnetism The Illuminating World of Light Understanding Photosynthesis The World of Food Chains The Explosive World of Volcanoes Adventures in Sound Understanding Global Warming Exploring Ecosystems In addition to an index at the back, there is a one-page glossary of terms, section for recommended further reading, and an invitation to point your browser to FactHound, where you can find internet sites related to this book. Examples of matching web sites for this title include EPA Environmental Kid’s Club, Eeko World @ PBS Ki
In The Powerful World of Energy, comic book scientist Max Axiom gave readers a brief overview of various types of energy—from sound to light to heat—and examined how such energy can be stored or transferred from one form to another. Now in A Refreshing Look at Renewable Energy, Max takes another look at energy by exploring various alternative forms of energy that can be used to heat homes, power appliances, run cars, and even power cities. Readers get a basic look at how solar energy, wind energy, and even ocean wave energy can be harnessed to generate electricity more cleanly than coal or nuclear power plants. Max also does a fair job at considering the downsides to cleaner forms of energy—noting how hydroelectric plants pollute less but also threaten fish and other wildlife, while growing ethanol fuel can sacrifice much-needed farmland. In general, the book provides a fun, fast-paced introduction to alternative energy, although it does skimp a bit on revealing the workings of different solar energy cells and does not cover all the types of alternative fuel cars (such as hybrids or electric cars). Nevertheless, the book does make alternative energy more comprehensible for younger readers—and can spark an interest in learning more about this interesting field.
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
There are lots of engaging resources available for teaching science to young kids, but one of the best is strangely little known: a terrific and highly entertaining series of science-themed graphic novels from Capstone Press, featuring a super scientist by the name of Max Axiom. Max Axiom, the story goes, was hiking one day when he was struck by megacharged lightning. The accident gave him the ability to shrink to the size of the atom, while his magic lab coat enables him to travel through space and time. These super powers mean that when he is, for instance, investigating viruses, he can stand on a human knee and watch as a scrape becomes infected. He can travel down inside a plant to show the role of chloroplasts in photosynthesis. Each book in the series features an adventure focused on one science theme, such as Cell Life, Chemical Reactions, or Electricity. Information is presented clearly and engagingly, and each book also features a glossary, suggestions for further reading, and pre-screened internet links. There are more than 15 books in the series altogether. Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library each only carry one of these well-designed books, but you can purchase four for the price of three on Amazon. http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-new-york/max-axiom-graphic-novels-make-learning-science-fun
