Chockfull of fun and knowledge for inquisitive youngsters, a field guide for the science explorer on the go offers more than sixty hands-on experiments, from finding meteorites at the beach to whispering in their own ear. Grade 4-6-A collection of over 60 easy-to-do activities and demonstrations to perform in schools, parks, restaurants, or while traveling. They include curling a dandelion stem, observing the strobe effect on a computer screen, and detecting stress points in plastic. The principle behind each activity is carefully explained. Some of the experiments, such as the "law abiding balloon" (the movement of a balloon in a moving automobile), appear in more than one of the author's previous books. Although some of the observations could be used as a starting point for science projects, the value of the book lies in helping children become more observant, to question what is really happening, and to learn the scientific principle(s) behind the observation. Although some of activities presented can be found elsewhere, many are interesting adaptations, such as skipping a stone on sand or using a rhododendron to tell the temperature. Frequent black-and-white cartoons break up the text and add a light touch to the presentation. The concept of looking for scientific principles anyplace one might be is well presented here. Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Gr. 4^-6. Stating that many books emphasize science experiments designed to be carried out at home, this volume explores ideas that can best be carried out elsewhere. Cobb and Darling suggest activities to try in the yard, at the beach, at neighborhood parks, at amusement parks, in public buildings, in airplanes, in moving cars, in elevators, and so on. Given the book's energetic style and many fresh ideas, readers will be eager to carry out at least some of the activities: ask an adult to throw a cup of very hot water outside on a very cold night and watch it fall as snow; collapse soda cans with a tiny tap from an eraser; observe the sway of a skyscraper, not by looking out the windows on the observation deck but by watching the water tilt in the toilets on the top floor. Good ideas and good presentation combine for an appealing book of hands-on science. Illustrations not seen. Carolyn Phelan Vicki Cobb is a pro at explaining the cohesive and adhesive properties of water. but she can never seem to remember that plants like water too! She finally had to decorate her home with artificial plants to keep from killing the live ones. Ever since Science Experiments You Can Eat, Vicki Cobb has been delighting children, parents, and teachers with the fun of making science discoveries. Now, with the new Science Play series, she sets her sights on the youngest children. who are natural scientists and are always experimenting. Vicki Cobb and her husband divide their time between their homes in White Plains, New York. and Manchester, Vermont.