Rocket Science for Babies

Baby University

by Chris Ferrie

Help your future genius become the smartest baby in the room! It only takes a small spark to ignite a child's mind.

Genres: Science, Childrens, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Physics, Stem, Space

24 pages, Board Book

First published May 9, 2016

About the author

I am Chris Ferrie, father of four and happy husband. My day job is academic research where I follow my curiosity through the word of quantum physics. My passion for communicating science has led from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to more recently writing children’s books.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe not QUITE for babies, but definitely my level, lol. I don't know how well it would work for young children, but kids grasp things better than adults know and with repetition, there can be that "aha" moment when it all clicks together. I mean, how many times did Newton see stuff fall to the ground before he made his discovery? This with other science-y books wouldn't hurt I think. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, because bully for not treating children like idiots!

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

After now having read almost twenty of Chris Ferrie's Baby University board books, I am with regard to the textual and especially so the science, the STEM quality of the books in general more and more thinking that while some of the "for babies" books should (and would) work well for board book audiences (not for babies, of course, as the titles wrongfully and gimmicky-like insinuate, but rather for young children from about the age of two to five and in particular if there is already an interest in math and the sciences present), sorry, but far too many of Chris Ferrie's (and by extension also his coauthors') texts for the Baby University series in my opinion leave rather a bit to be desired, as they are either too confusing for the intended age group (sometimes right from the onset and sometimes suddenly out of the blue so to speak becoming overly difficult and hard to easily grasp) or are not going far enough with their explanations, are leaving out essential details and sometimes providing details that might even be errors (and which is definitely and totally, utterly problematic for STEM thematics and contents in books geared towards children and no matter for which age groups the information is being considered). And thus, I cannot really personally consider the Baby University series as a whole, as an entity being good beginning science books for young children, for toddlers. For considering how an annoying number of the Baby University books I have read to date (at least in my opinion) tend to present and show confusing, sometimes downright misleading information (and also often do not bother with providing details that are necessary for an adequate understanding of the STEM concepts being featured in a given book), I cannot and will not consider suggesting the Baby University books and Chis Ferrie as an author in general without major and massive reservations (as I have definitely and certainly not enjoyed and been all that impressed with and by a sizeable majority of Ferrie's Baby University books thus far to give an all round positive recommendation and in particular so for the intended age group, for board book audiences).

But yes, while this here tome, while the 2016 Rocket Science for Babies is actually not the worst of the personally and academically annoying and problematic Baby University board books I have read by a long shot so to speak (as that would likely be Neural Networks for Babies, Quantum Entanglement for Babies and Evolution for Babies, all of which I have massively and totally despised), Rocket Science for Babies is still (at least in my humble opinion) only a very low and massively grudging two star rating for the combination of Chris Ferrie's text and his accompanying illustrations and also not something that I would ever be considering as adequate reading/listening material for young children without major reservations and caveats. Because while the first half of Rocket Science for Babies is actually a very good and also nicely simple explanation (both textually and also visually, even though the illustrations are for my tastes a bit bland and aesthetically boring) of the principles of flight in an atmosphere and how a wing works to help provide the necessary lift (but yes, I also do think the book title of Rocket Science for Babies is more than a bit misleading, as at the beginning of the book we are certainly talking about aerodynamics and absolutely not about rocket science), when we get to the "rocket" part of Rocket Science for Babies, well, everything basically seems to become messy and also rather rife with errors or at least with potentially misleading and problematic information. For indeed, it sure seems as though Chris Ferrie simply transfers the aerodynamics of the first part of Rocket Science for Babies to his information on rockets (and that if you put wings on a rocket ship and provide lift, thrust, fuel and an explosion, you can and very easily with not much of a hassle travel to the moon). Now I have not taken physics and astronomy classes since high school (since the 1980s), but I do recall learning and understanding that wings can in fact only provide lift in an actual atmosphere and that most of a rocket voyage (including to the moon) occurs in outer space and would of course therefore be happening in what is almost a vacuum, would be in an empty space devoid of air and thus also naturally with no aerodynamics either, so that basically, all the textual information on aerodynamics and on lift in Rocket Science for Babies (in the first part of the book) does not make a lot of sense for rockets (and that at the very least, Chris Ferrie should be mentioning in Rocket Science for Babies that once a rocket ship is in space, lift would become totally unimportant and not at all even present with the lack of an atmosphere to provide this).

Finally, considering from my own research online regarding rocket science, that what Chris Ferrie in Rocket Science for Babies labels as being wings are in fact not even considered to be this (and are there only to provide a bit of stability for the flight path and not for anything to do with lift and with air currents), I am sorry, but the second part of Rocket Science of Babies seems to be both missing a lot and also teaching what I would personally consider erroneous details to the intended audience, to young children who in my opinion totally deserve so much better (and that I would thus and in fact only ever be recommending the first part of Rocket Science for Babies and would as such and definitely suggest completely leaving out all the rocket ship information, to consider the latter as severely lacking, as informatively compromised and as rather providing false information, and that really, Chris Ferrie should kind of be a bit ashamed of himself for providing at best misleading STEM information in the rocket ship part of his Rocket Science for Babies).

And by the way, I also think after rereading my review that my two star rating for Rocket Science for Babies is probably I being a bit overly generous. However, I do think that for the beginning of Rocket Science for Babies Chris Ferrie does a pretty decent job explaining what aerodynamics are (even though according to title this is supposed to be a book about rocket science and not aerodynamics) and this fact should kind of be acknowledged.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I wish it really were as easy as reading this simple explanation of thrust and lift to become a rocket scientist, 😄

[Wiltshire Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am now rocket surgeon?

[Clara Jane Isch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s about time we get more women on the moon!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My six week old baby liked learning about lift and thrust. I think it was a good follow up to an earlier book where she learned about Newton’s Laws. She got very smiley when we related back to Newton’s Third Law.

She was a bit distracted looking at a painting and the corner of the room, but overall she quite enjoyed the book!

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Our library purchased this series of books, thinking that they might be good beginning science books. They could have been, had the creators done a little more homework on their intended audience, and how to create a book FOR that audience. The actual books are interesting, but a weird mix of material for older kids with a format aimed at younger ones, and with things left out or stated in misleading ways.
This one, however, was so annoying that I felt I had to review it, as a warning.

The first half of this book is actually a good explanation of the principles of flight in an atmosphere, and how a wing actually works to help provide lift. Then, the explanation crashes and burns.
The principles of flight are followed by:
"But how do we make the wing move forward? We put it on a rocket ship!"
This is followed by a brief explanation of how a rocket works, and illustrations of said rocket flying to the moon. Um, what? No transition, no explanation of aircraft, just that abrupt jump. After a few pages, it concludes with:
"With lift and thrust, we can go to the moon!"
No, really, it actually says that. Now, it's been a while since I took any physics courses, but I do seem to recall that wings only provide lift IN AN ATMOSPHERE, and most of the trip to the moon is through a vacuum. In addition, a rocket exiting the Earth's atmosphere doesn't really rely on "wings" of a rocket ship for lift. Those little fins help to stabilize the path of flight, but they're not wings.
So, why is half of the book about the lifting force of wings? And why the abrupt jump to something that isn't really dependent on that?
My problem with this book, and with this series, is that they're like that. Bits of real information for kids mixed with gaping holes or misinformation. The volume on Quantum Computing is cute, but leaves out so much that it will take an entire other book to answer the questions it leaves behind. The volume on Newtonian Physics explains one of Newton's laws of physics, shows a cartoon of Newton being hit by an apple, and thinks that means the reader will understand the other two of Newton's laws of physics...and don't get me started on the Evolution volume, which has to explain the concept of generations without explaining having babies...
Kids who are old enough to have the vocabulary, or the understanding of some of the more complex concepts, will be put off by the format. Kids who are picking up board books, which is the format of this series, will not come in with an understanding of an unstable nucleus or the nature of organic molecules, or the terms being used to describe them.
There are some wonderful illustrations in these books, and I'm sure that some combinations of parents and children can turn them into useful tools, but on their own, they're a disappointment.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

We received review copies of four titles in the Baby University series by Chris Ferrie: Rocket Science for Babies, General Relativity for Babies, Quantum Physics for Babies, and Newtonian Physics for Babies. Though the titles suggest they are for babies, I was hoping for basic science titles for Miss Muffet, who tends to enjoy nonfiction and scientific principles. The images from the books that I saw prior to receiving the books looked so promising, but I have to admit to being disappointed by the titles themselves. While they work fine for introducing unfamiliar vocabulary to babies (something Every Child Ready to Read is all about), neither of my kids understood a word of any of the books. When I asked Miss Muffet what the books were about, she said, "Circles?" (Dots are used throughout the books to illustrate different concepts. Miss Muffet did not pick this up.) I think the only concept she grasped was gravity, and that was because we'd just read a Let's Read and Find Out About Science book called Gravity is a Mystery.

I so wanted these to be more than novelty books, even if they weren't exactly suitable for babies, but the concepts are really just too complicated for early childhood, at least in the way they are presented here. These would be fun gag gifts for new parents who work in science fields, but otherwise, despite being visually very appealing, they're not worth buying for little kids.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Amy!]

Adorable and at about my level of comprehension for rocket science!

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entire series is so cute. The illustrations are very basic, as is the writing style. This is deliberate, as it lets the scientific ideas shine through and opens up a lot of space for caretakers to apply the lessons in games or songs or conversations once the book has been read.

Most kids are not going to actually grasp the concepts in these books. But the explanations really clarify things for the adults reading them, and that's a good start! I'm sure we've all heard how an airplane moves and nodded along as half the information went over our heads. But reading this book to my son solidified my understandings of the absolute basics. This helped untangle knots further up my chain of understanding.

And while this might not seem important in my day-to-day life, I'm raising a whole new person. He might be fascinated by rockets or planes or any other number of things that are affected by the concepts in this book. Now when he asks questions. I can answer them a little more clearly. And, in the end, everyone will be better off by a net increase in scientific understanding.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this crazy idea. I don't know if it's truly a useful idea, but it was interesting and kid-friendly. This book in the series incorporates shapes, lift, air flow and propulsion. I think it would have been stronger if the book stuck to aeronautics instead of trying to add rockets. The art is colorful and simple.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Factually inaccurate, pretending that lift is what makes rockets fly through space.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know what my daughter finds so captivating about Chris Ferrie’s books but something about these books holds her attention. I like the illustrations. The concepts are boiled down so even a non-STEM professional like myself can understand it. I can’t wait to see what my baby really thinks about these scientific principles when she gets older.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe if my parent’s would have read me “Rocket Science for Babies” I’d have done better in science class. Even I understood it!

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book itself was nice quality- beautiful cover art and smooth and crisp quality pages- very visually appealing… until you open it up. The illustrations are extremely uninteresting- even for babies- and unaligned to what the text states, and the text is confusing and slightly misleading. Wonderful idea for a series, but terrible execution of how these books were done. What a shame. This is unfortunately more of a novelty book series to get a chuckle out of the title than anything.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gah. This series is so frustrating. First of all, this is about aerodynamics, not rocket science. Name what you are attempting to teach about correctly. Secondly, this one us just misleading in how it attempts to explain concepts, randomly moving from air movement to rockets with no transition, and absolutely no explanation of rockets.

These are so dang cute, and they could have been great, so I am venting.

[Gregg Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing preventing me from rating this higher is that it should really be called "Aerodynamics for Babies"

But it's a quick read and keeps a (nearly) 2 year old with the attention span of a pigeon entertained.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointingly, this was mostly aerodynamics for babies. It would be better with less material on airfoils and more on the Oberth effect.

[Valleri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't even bother. Seriously.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so goddamned adorable!

[Jessica W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rocket science runs in my family. My dad is an aerospace engineer, and so is my little brother. (Though I'm pretty sure they just check the code that keeps satellites in orbit). They bought this book for my younger kiddo as kind of a joke, thinking it would just be a cutesy short explanation of how rockets go boom and how stuff stays in orbit.

It's not a cutesy explanation. Its adorable illustrations and succinct summary of key concepts have made it a household favorite. My dad was actually really impressed with how good it was and it's one of my younger son's favorite books. I highly recommend this book (and the other books in the series, too!)

[Raquel Nunez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book teaches how the wings on a rocket ship work and what causes it to go up. It uses vocabulary terms such as lift and thrust. I think this is a very simple; book for children who take an interest in rocket ships. This isn't necessarily a fun read; it is educational for sure! If I was a teacher and my class had an interest in rockets. I may have them read this book. Once it was read-create an arts and crafts activity of what they learned. Then apply it to real life; by watching Apollo 13. The author does a great job with the white and blue illustrations on the page and the arrows that mimic what wind would look like if it were visible.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one to my son this evening, and he loves looking at the pictures in these books and turning the pages. Whether he understands it or not, I'm not sure, but I am leaning towards not. It's a bit advanced for a child who can't even talk yet. But I am hoping that in reading things like this to him, I'll foster an interest in science that will last throughout his life. If I can do that for him, I feel like I will have achieved something.

These books can be good for adults, too - it has helped me gain a basic understanding of some concepts that were a bit beyond me at times.

I would recommend these books, but perhaps more for toddlers and children rather than babies.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I might finally understand lift! This is the Penny version rather than the Sheldon Cooper version! This board book has clear, bright, simple illustrations that make the concepts of rocket science actually easy to understand. As for babies, that’s a stretch, but they will love the pictures and the concept of print. The first rocket is a pacifier. Clever and eye catching for a little one. Sentences are short and to the point, making it clear to those of us who know very little about these concepts.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are great board books for babies or small children. I'm not sure I approve of their final pages announcing that, simple concepts having been encountered within them, "you are now a rocket scientist". Parents shouldn't fall for the conceit that these books will make their children geniuses, but introducing little ones to science seems to me never a bad thing.

[Anh Nch · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book explained the "lift" notion really well in the first part, but I'm not sure how it helps explain how rockets work (it explains how aeroplanes and bird wings work, though). The second part with the "thrust" notion - which is essential for the explanation of how a rocket works - was poorly explained in my opinion.

[Adriana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5)
Simple explanations of complex ideas for your future genius but maybe skip this one.

Highlights: Explains air flow, lift, and thrust with simple illustrations.

Lowlights: Rocket science is stripped down to lift and thrust which can be applied to any flying aircraft not just rockets.

[Greg Brady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Baby University books provide good examples of explaining topics simply for children. This book has simple, clear illustrations and explanations. I’d be happy if this was titled aeronautical engineering for babies. It explains Bernoulli’s principle well to generate lift which has significant impact on the development of airplanes but is insignificant to rockets.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just bought copies of this book for my niece and nephew for Christmas! Shhhh, don't tell! :)

It's cute, with simple drawings and easy explanations for lift and thrust, and since my husband basically is a rocket scientist, hopefully our sisters won't hate us for starting 'em off young.

[Iwaswondering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! This is going to become my “most gifted” book set.

The Science for Babies series is brilliantly done. In this book, the author manages to break down the basic concepts of Rockets and Thrust into a few easily digestible nuggets.