Science Comics: Cars

May 6, 2019
The newest installment of the Science Comics series presents the science behind cars, including the advent of human tool-making and harnessing of fire, the fundamentals of simple machines, and the invention of the wheel. In a semichronological fashion, Zettwoch explores the rise of steam-powered vehicles and early engines. The jam-packed comics feature edifying graphics, diagrams, and a cast of quirky inventors and adventurers; playful sections include “Extreme Rides” and a brief history of the car radio. Recent advancements in more environmentally sound technology conclude the volume, including electric and self-driving cars. The book makes it clear that the transportation available to humans today is possible thanks to a very long history of human exploration, imagination, and—of course—scientific innovation. Also available: Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate and Cats: Nature and Nurture. Ages 9–11.

May 24, 2019

Gr 4-7-Though more of a history of automobiles than a study of their technology, this "Science Comics" entry does dive beneath the hood to highlight electrical and other systems, along with simple explanations of two- and four-cycle internal combustion engines. Zettwoch offers clear, labeled cutaway views as necessary, but he plainly takes more delight in portraying the wild and crazy variety of cars that have come down the pike over the past century and a half-from the spidery putt-putt of Karl Benz that his intrepid wife Bertha took for a 120-mile spin in 1888 to the sleek Tesla Roadster that was sent into space with a mannequin "astronaut" behind the wheel in 2018. In between, the author treats fans to a colorful parade of experimental models, racers, popular classics, and hybrid and electrical cars, capped by exuberant galleries of commercial vehicles (no fewer than 100 types squeezed onto four teeming pages), "weird cars" like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, head-on views of "car faces," and horns of diverse design. His closing resource list includes more systematic introductions to what he terms the "science-y stuff," as well as leads to specialty magazines, relevant comics, and comprehensive car histories. VERDICT This breezy spin through the past, present, and (near) future of cars and related vehicles speeds down a well-traveled road, but its graphic format will give it particular appeal to readers years away from learner's permits.

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