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A Black Hole Is Not a Hole
by
Get ready to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your mind!
What is a black hole? Where do they come from? How were they discovered? Can we visit one? Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano takes readers on a ride through the galaxies (ours, and others), answering these questions and many more about the phenomenon known as a black hole.
In lively and often humorous text, the book starts off with a thorough ...more
What is a black hole? Where do they come from? How were they discovered? Can we visit one? Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano takes readers on a ride through the galaxies (ours, and others), answering these questions and many more about the phenomenon known as a black hole.
In lively and often humorous text, the book starts off with a thorough ...more
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It's not the only -- or even the primary -- criterion that I use when evaluating children's books, but I get a special thrill when I see a book and think "You know, I would really have enjoyed this book as a child." A Black Hole Is Not a Hole gave me that feeling, reminding me of the first time I picked up Our Universe or The Cartoon Guide to Physics, a pair of books that loom large in my memories of growing up.
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano's book does an excellent job of taking a difficult ...more
Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano's book does an excellent job of taking a difficult ...more
If you like black holes than you'd like this book. They were discovered in a pretty crazy way. If you want to find out how, read the book! It's pretty short and easy to read.
Indy age 10
Indy age 10
Children's nonfiction book about black holes and stars. Text is very informative. Illustrations provide strong support for the concepts presented. Includes a black hole timeline, glossary, and bibliography. Good for both classroom use and independent reading. Also an excellent resource for school reports.
May 20, 2019
Dolly
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of nonfiction
This is a short and engaging audiobook that explains the science of black holes and other aspects of the stars in our universe.
The authors use plain terminology and clear comparisons in our own world to explain the very complicated concepts. And yet, they do not 'dumb down' the science.
I can't say that I truly understand black holes any more than I did before, but I have a better grasp on the general idea.
The authors use plain terminology and clear comparisons in our own world to explain the very complicated concepts. And yet, they do not 'dumb down' the science.
I can't say that I truly understand black holes any more than I did before, but I have a better grasp on the general idea.
A Black Hole is Not a Hole is an informational text explaining what a black hole is. The author’s writing style is engaging—the title, A Black Hole is Not a Hole, is interesting and causes the reader to question it. There is also a speech bubble on the cover that asks, “Then what is it?” and another speech bubble on the title page that asks, “Are you sure about that?” There are other speech bubbles found throughout the text that add humor and interest to the topic.
This is an abstract and ...more
This is an abstract and ...more
How many books about scientific concepts are funny and fun to read? Not too many, methinks. Carolyn Decristofano explains black holes via excellent analogies (a singularity is like a peanut with the mass of a trillion elephants!), thought experiments (imagine you approach the event horizon of a black hole and your foot stretches in front on you like a spaghetti noodle!), and great flow from one topic to the next (start with Newtonian gravity--that's pretty easy to get--and wait until the end to
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Gosh! I wish this book had been available when I was young or even when I was taking a couple of astronomy classes in college and first became interested in black holes. In engaging text and illustrations created through acrylics and Adobe Photoshop, the book uses eight chapters to introduce the rather complicated idea of black holes, which are not actually holes. Comparing a black hole to a whirlpool but without the water is a wonderfully effective and vivid way to explain one. I also liked how
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A Black Hole is Not a Hole is a very detailed and informative book about “what in the universe” a black hole really is. The text is arranged around central ideas about black holes using kid-friendly metaphors to develop an understanding of what black holes are really like. The text balances paragraphs of information, colorful diagrams and metaphoric illustrations to capture the complexity of black holes in an accessible way.
To illustrate the complexity of black holes the author investigates ...more
To illustrate the complexity of black holes the author investigates ...more
A conversational and humorous tone makes this book not only educational but appealing to read. Carolyn DeCristofano breaks down an overwhelming subject into easy-to-digest pieces and explains what black holes are, how they form, and how we discovered them. Extensive back matter includes an AWESOME author's note that tells how she researched the book and emphasizes the fact that ongoing scientific research means that science facts change often.
Highly recommended for young scientists! Pair it ...more
Highly recommended for young scientists! Pair it ...more
Did I just read, learn, and understand Einstein's theory of relativity from a children's book? Why yes, yes I did. Why can't college textbooks be like this? I may have been a physics major if learning had been this much fun.
FYI for parents out there concerned about the new Common Core Standards increased requirements for nonfiction in the classroom? If this book is any indication - kids are probably in for a treat.
(age range 10ish give or take, but obvs good for adults, too)
FYI for parents out there concerned about the new Common Core Standards increased requirements for nonfiction in the classroom? If this book is any indication - kids are probably in for a treat.
(age range 10ish give or take, but obvs good for adults, too)
An excellent presentation and explanation of a complicated subject. Coversational, entertaining and informative with great illustrations.
This was a well explained nonfiction book about the physics and astronomy of black holes. Understanding gravity is vital to learning about black holes, so the book focuses on gravity and how its force holds the solar system together because of the sun’s gravitational pull. It explains that gravity’s pull is affected by distance and mass of the objects involved. A black hole is a massive amount of mass that is packed densely and is the source of the immense gravitational pull. The accuracy of the
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If you or you kid likes black holes, or science, or space they will love this book. However, if they don't you shouldn't even try. The book itself is incredibly dense and has a great amount of information in it about black holes. It describes what they are, how they work, and what we as humans understand about them at this point. If your kid is interested in science I would definitely say you should pick this book up because it will foster that interest. However, if your kid isn't interested in
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This would definitely be a 4 star for a scientifically interested kid. I am in a reading program at my library that has books for different criteria. I read this for a " non-fiction title about something you are unfamiliar with". I figured a scientific subject with which I was unfamiliar would be best explained by a book for kids. I was correct! I now know more about black holes and know that the nearest one is too far away for worry. Of course, black holes still give me the same sort of strange
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My 6 year old is fascinated with black holes until she read this book. The more she read the more she got scared and didn't want to continue the book. She does not want Earth passing by a black hole and no longer wants to be a scientist. Her Looney Toon black hole version is ruined. On the bright side, the images were vivid and the description was clear. She now knows what a black hole is not.
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Okay, so this is definitely a kids book, didn't realize. But I think it can be beneficial for adults to read kids books on tricky subjects because it helps you become more comfortable with the basics. I have a variety of other books on black holes, and I think it is a good starting point to read this first as it goes over some of the essential concepts trying to make them as easy to understand as possible.
Very informative science book. Talks about a ray of space topics such as; black holes, gravity, stars, and much more and how they all intertwine. Pictures are both professional and cartoon but it fits well with the book. In the back in comes with a glossary, which is really helpful!
Interestingly educational. Learned more about black holes than I thought I needed to know
Enjoyed this on audio.
My three-year-old is obsessed with black holes and I cannot count how many times he made me read this book to him this year. Think I learned as much as he did.
For anyone interested in Space and black holes, this is the book to read! It's full of fabulous information and illustrations to educate and amaze.
This is a kids book, and I still had to slow it way down so I could understand
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This was a cute, quick read. Definitely one that I would share with my nieces and nephews if it can pass the “astrophysicist uncle test”
Richie’s Picks: A BLACK HOLE IS NOT A HOLE by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano and Michael Carroll, ill., Charlesbridge, February 2012, 80p., ISBN: 978-1-57091-783-7
“Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find”
-- Kilbey/Jansson, “Under the Milky Way”
“A black hole is nothing to look at. Literally. If you could somehow take a close-up picture of a black hole, it wouldn’t be one for the scrapbook. It would just be blank…and black.
“The blackness of black holes is peculiar: ...more
“Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find”
-- Kilbey/Jansson, “Under the Milky Way”
“A black hole is nothing to look at. Literally. If you could somehow take a close-up picture of a black hole, it wouldn’t be one for the scrapbook. It would just be blank…and black.
“The blackness of black holes is peculiar: ...more
I liked this book because black holes are mysterious anomalies in the sky. The author really captured many of the important things about black holes. Ever since I was a kid I have always been interested in black holes. People record all of this evidence and advice about black holes and I wonder how do they do it. All in all people still do not know the many secrets about black holes but most importantly where they lead to. I would recommend this to people who are into astronomy because space is
...more
From an informational stand point, by far the strongest text I've come across. Possibly ever. This book should be held up as the example for just how significant a role text formatting can enhance a non-fiction reading experience. The main passages on each page are as stylistically potent as the information it contains. This is quite the abstract topic matter, astrophysics. So, how do you make that accessible to a young audience? By connecting and relating to more concrete concepts. Each passage
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A Black Hole Is Not a Hole is a small chapter book that is a good introduction to one of the more complicated scientific concepts for young readers. The book talks about good ole outer space and most importantly within the book title, black holes. It informs its readers about some facts about what it is, where it could be located, what it’s like, how it works, and even has some general facts about space itself for readers to learn about and enjoy. The book is written with both an informational
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Okay. Really wish it could been more creationist, less evolutionist.
A Black Hole is Not a Hole is a thrilling in content and language. It is a rare nonfiction book written for younger readers--although I believe it has wide appeal--that is exciting and accessible. A longtime astronomy enthusiast, I find the study of astronomy and its many amazing phenomena to be fascinating. Decristofano's book brings that excitement and wonder to life!
Although accessible to young readers in its explanations A Black Hole is Not a Hole does not 'dumb down' any scientific ...more
Although accessible to young readers in its explanations A Black Hole is Not a Hole does not 'dumb down' any scientific ...more
My wife reads so much she might finish another book by the time I finish this review (actually, she JUST DID as I was getting to the end of this LOL). So when my wife brought this book to my attention and explained it breaks this topic down most clearly, I was HIGHLY intrigued as she gave it 5 stars here on Goodreads. Now, let me tell you, for her, that is a HUGE, did I say HUGE, compliment. She read 350 books in 2013 from a variety of genres (she's the Media Center specialist, aka librarian)
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future Teachers, ...: Book review.Dykstra | 1 | 2 | Nov 18, 2016 05:41PM | |
| using this one for book club... | 3 | 3 | Nov 02, 2012 10:32AM |
