I’m a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe by Eve M. Vavagiakis, illus. by Ilze Lemesis, offering an accessible look at the smallest known and most mysterious particle of matter.
An accessible and visually arresting picture book about one of the universe's most mysterious particles for the youngest scientific minds.
Before you finish reading this sentence, trillions upon trillions of neutrinos will have passed through your body. Not sure what a neutrino is? Get an up-close-and-personal introduction in this dazzling picture book from MIT Kids Press, told in lilting rhyme from the neutrino’s point of view and filled with mind-bending, full-bleed illustrations that swirl and splash the cosmos to life.
Some of the smallest bits of matter known to exist—and they exist everywhere—neutrinos are inspiring cutting-edge and Nobel Prize–winning research. Here, playful text and watercolor illustrations blended with photographs distill the concept of these mysterious particles down to its essence. “Know Your Neutrinos” end notes provide context for each spread, amplifying the science and making complex astrophysics and physics concepts approachable. This indispensable STEM title urges children to dream of contributing their own discoveries.---from the publisher
40 pages 978-1536222074 Ages 7-10
Keywords: astrophysics, science, physics, Science Curriculum, STEM, narrative nonfiction, rhyme, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old
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I'm a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe
Dr Eve M. Vavagiakis
Ilze Lemesis
MIT Kids Press, 2022
40pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99
9781529506334
Somewhere, back in the hazy days of high school in the 60s, I learned about protons, electrons and neutrons but, to be honest, I wasn't interested in science and physics was an absolute mystery. Now, even having read this book it still is, but there is bound to be a budding young physicist in your school who can get their head round the existence and purpose of these mysterious particles of matter that are the smallest known.
According to the publisher's blurb, "Before you finish reading this sentence, trillions upon trillions of neutrinos will have passed through your body" and according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, a neutrino is an "elementary subatomic particle with no electric charge, very little mass, and 1/2 unit of spin. Neutrinos belong to the family of particles called leptons, which are not subject to the strong force. Rather, neutrinos are subject to the weak force that underlies certain processes of radioactive decay."
So to have someone who is not only smart enough to understand the scientific definition but then distil that into an accessible poem that explains the phenomenon (and then further explain it in prose as well), and another person to also understand it and be able to interpret it in illustrations is a phenomenon in itself. Nevertheless, that's what has been done in this book and there will be future-thinking young cosmologists whose brains can travel to places that are a mystery to me who will be fascinated by it and appreciate what they learn. And if they want to know more, then have them listen to this conversation with the author. ---from the publisher
https://youtu.be/VNLxpCNs6yY
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats https://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf https://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
Storybook Cushions https:// bit.ly/storybook_cushions
