Exploring Ecosystems With Max Axiom, Super Scientist

Max Axiom Super Scientist

by Agnieszka Biskup, Tod Smith (Illustrator)

You never had a science teacher like this! Max Axiom is a super-cool super-scientist who demonstrates and explains science in ways never before seen in the classroom. Whether shrinking down to the size of an ant or riding on a sound wave, Max does whatever it takes to make science super cool and accessible.

Genres: Science, Graphic Novels, Nature, Environment, Animals, Nonfiction

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Agnieszka Jozefina Biskup
Agnieszka Jòzefina Biskup

Reviews

[Christine Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good graphics and a ton of information contained in a short graphic novel. Accessible and fun facts galore...can’t see this one staying on my classroom library shelf.

[SaraKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very much a non-fiction didactic book about ecosystems, but the graphic novel form and the inclusion of Max Axiom, Superscientist!, may make it more palatable to middle grade boys. The character is often doing adventurous things in the background while talking such as climbing mountains or swimming in the sea. As he describes things, the action in the pictures shows it happening, so it would be helpful to poor readers and language learners as well.

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic information, but the illustrations were disappointing, not well defined.

[Savanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our 4th graders, after the poetry unit, were introduced to non-fiction stories regarding ecosystems and animals. We started the book "Explorar Ecosistemas," which is a graphic novel in Spanish about the world we live in: ecosystems, organisms, energy, biomes, precipitation, geography, and the delicate balance of the food chains in different ecosystems. The class has not finished reading the graphic novel, but it will be a great text to come back to after reading other articles and books about different animals' defense mechanisms and where they live. This graphic novel is absolutely loaded with information. It is a very comprehensive introduction to what an ecosystem is, the different kinds of organisms that live there, and how they need energy to survive, "las plantas hacen su propia comida por medio de la luz solar a través de un proceso llamado fotosíntesis." I think this book would be too much information to absorb all at once because there are too many facts included. It is a novel that is extremely detailed, busy, and informative. For a 4th grader, they would not be able to retain all of that information at once; it would be a total overload. I think the best way to read this book would be to study one aspect of it, such as an ecosystem, and then refer back to this novel to see what Max Axiom (character) has to say about it. The kids could do this for each component of the story. Maybe after picking apart the content of this book over a unit, the graphic novel would be a good way to review and tie things up. In this novel, Max Axiom is the character talking in the story as he travels to all different kinds of ecosystems, "En el océano, debajo de la superficie, plantas, animales y peces viven en este enorme ecosistema." There are wonderful graphic illustrations that make the book very interesting and entrancing to look at. You can feel Max Axiom's energy as he moves quickly from place to place. There are also definitions listed, along with a sort of glossary of facts at the back of the book. Overall, I like this book a lot, but it was even difficult for me to absorb and remember everything the author presented. Therefore, especially for 4th graders, I think "Explorar Ecosistemas" needs to be taught in a specific, segmented way so that each piece is understood by the audience before moving forward.

[Emily Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this graphic novel, I found that it was not what I had expected. By looking at the cover, I was expecting a story about a superhero. However, this book is filled with amazing facts about ecosystems. What a great format of text to help students get excited about learning science. I also like how there is a glossary, index, and more about ecosystems in the back of the book.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Axiom, Super Scientist breaks down the facts, and gives understanding to the science behind ecosystems in four sections to include communities of Earth, Energy for the planet, world's biomes, and the delicate balance of how they all work as one.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I'm just less picky today for some reason, but I thought this was better than the other Max Axioms I've read so far.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative comic book style non-fiction book about ecosystems. Perfect for kids that don't enjoy or won't sit still for textbook learning.

[Angle]

This book was about all the ecosystems and the characteristics of them with food, plants, animals and the geographies. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers who love reading ahout Earth. I would rate the book a 4/5 because it was good but could've discussed the topics in a different manner.