-received as part of librarything's early review program-

This book is trying very hard to be something it's just not quite capable of. The explanations offered are utterly insufficient; do not try to read this to a child unless you are 100% capable of explaining nuclear physics entirely on your own, as this will not help, and will raise questions. ( )

Love these books. Many of them are in Spanish as well. They are basic but that's what they are about. ( )

Loved it! My son is 3 and really enjoys this book. It uses proper scientific terminology but also has fun, accessible illustrations and makes a nice story to read. I really like books like this that don't treat children like idiots but do offer good starting points for complex concepts. This book has gotten many reads in our household. ( )

I'm not the _target audience for this book. I'm an adult learning Spanish, and I approached and experienced this book as a fun way to expand my vocabulary and practice reading comprehension and pronunciation. The text is bilingual, but because it's written to (more or less) rhyme in both languages, the Spanish strays farther from the English on some pages than others. Even in English, the rhyming works better when the sentences are shorter, and I don't think this book will be winning any poetry awards. But the illustrations are winners, both charming and educational, with a lot of useful vocabulary that isn't in the text itself. There is a good glossary at the end of the book, but I especially appreciate the labeled drawings of atoms and a good chunk of the Periodic Table including the names of many elements that should be part of my everyday Spanish vocabulary. This book is a great way to introduce very young children to science and at the very least inspire curiosity about a second language. ( )

Nice clear explanation of atoms. The information is simple but accurate. The drawings are fun and show the characteristics of atoms. ( )

I appreciate what this book is trying to do, unfortunately it is too much like a "textbook" (as stated in the title). It manages to be simultaneously dry and overly simplistic. It does not explain anything very well (though the person reading it certainly could teach about atoms using the pictures and limited text as a starting point). My kids, who have been actively asking what atoms are, and really wanted to learn about this, were very disappointed. As was I ( )

Author Wissinger does well to simplify the concept of "Atoms" in this My First Science Textbook. This basic introduction to atoms is enhanced by illustrations by Harriet Kim Anh Rodis which is critical to this very challenging concept for an early reader. Electrons, molecules, and elements are introduced along with neutrons and protons which are also defined in the Glossary at the back of this non-fiction book. Where would this fit in the stacks? It's one of those that will be hard to find a place on the shelf and yet, is worth the conundrum. ( )

The illustrations are visually beautiful, the text is somewhat dense for a 5-6 year old; however, with commentary from the reader/parent, it is an incredibly inviting book. With the addition to the Spanish text, this helped us cross the language barrier as well with both English and Spanish within the text. As other reviewers have mentioned, this is heavy without supplemental guidance. Yet, the more of these types of books that hit the shelf, the better! ( )

An absolute fun book to read to your children; great for older children and adults as well. Basic science concepts made fun and informative. My children enjoyed this book. ( )

Writing engaging picture books is hard. Writing one that bills itself as a science textbook for ages 3-7 is even harder -- and this one sadly misses the mark. I read it first and questioned whether younger children would really understand all the words being thrown around; then I had my wife, a veteran preschool teacher, look at it. She agreed that the concepts would go "Whoosh" over her students' heads; she commented that the pictures and text didn't do enough to explain what anything meant, even for older children. "And why does everything have to rhyme?" she added. "That's not what makes a good picture book." So unfortunately none of the books in this "textbook" series will be joining her library at school. ( )

A nice easy book for younger readers. The illustrations are bright and colorful, more engaging than the subject matter might suggest. The bilingual Spanish/English edition is actually helpful for bilingual adults, who might know certain words in their native language but not in the other. Suitable for as young as 3, or as old as 7, depending on interest. ( )