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The Ups and Downs of Gravity
Explore the ups and downs of gravity in this introduction to physical science by a trusted nonfiction team.
What happens to a ball when it rolls off a table? It falls to the floor. Why doesn't the ball keep rolling straight ahead or fly up off the table? The answer is gravity.
From density to inertia to free fall, David A. Adler skillfully explains how this invisible, but all too real force operates and what it means for our daily lives. Notable science experiments by Sir Isaac Newton and astronaut David R. Scott are covered. Also included are activities for kids to test at home and in the classroom. Anna Raff's bright and humorous artwork helps breakdown the concepts in a kid-friendly way. Vetted by a physicist, this fact-filled primer includes a glossary.
What happens to a ball when it rolls off a table? It falls to the floor. Why doesn't the ball keep rolling straight ahead or fly up off the table? The answer is gravity.
From density to inertia to free fall, David A. Adler skillfully explains how this invisible, but all too real force operates and what it means for our daily lives. Notable science experiments by Sir Isaac Newton and astronaut David R. Scott are covered. Also included are activities for kids to test at home and in the classroom. Anna Raff's bright and humorous artwork helps breakdown the concepts in a kid-friendly way. Vetted by a physicist, this fact-filled primer includes a glossary.
32 pages, Paperback
Published January 18, 2022
About the author
David A. Adler
408 books207 followersDavid Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 7, 2021
"What happens to a ball when it falls off a table?
It falls to the floor.
Why doesn't it keep rolling straight ahead, suspended in air, or fly up off the table?"
From the first page, Adler draws kids in with his conversational style and comparisons that make a complex concept like gravity easier to understand. Adler introduces the concepts of mass, weight, and density with examples kids understand:
"Hold a marshmallow in one hand and a piece of chocolate in the other. One feels heavier than the other--the chocolate. That's because the chocolate is denser. It has greater mass."
Readers learn about how our weight changes depending on which planet they're on but not their mass. Etc. Adler also includes some simple experiments that can be done easily in a classroom setting.
Not every sub-topic in this book is developed as well (e.g., inertia); this might be because Adler tries to tackle too much. NOT A DEAL BREAKER.
LOVE ADLER'S BOOKS BECAUSE THEY TACKLE CONCEPTS WE DON'T NORMALLY SEE IN ENGAGING PICTURE BOOKS. Don't shy away from reading books like this aloud to students. They will not master understanding of the concepts but they sure will be inspired to learn more. This would be a great to read aloud when you launch a unit on this topic!
BTW the pictures may feel very primary, but this book is really geared towards grades 2-5 audience.
It falls to the floor.
Why doesn't it keep rolling straight ahead, suspended in air, or fly up off the table?"
From the first page, Adler draws kids in with his conversational style and comparisons that make a complex concept like gravity easier to understand. Adler introduces the concepts of mass, weight, and density with examples kids understand:
"Hold a marshmallow in one hand and a piece of chocolate in the other. One feels heavier than the other--the chocolate. That's because the chocolate is denser. It has greater mass."
Readers learn about how our weight changes depending on which planet they're on but not their mass. Etc. Adler also includes some simple experiments that can be done easily in a classroom setting.
Not every sub-topic in this book is developed as well (e.g., inertia); this might be because Adler tries to tackle too much. NOT A DEAL BREAKER.
LOVE ADLER'S BOOKS BECAUSE THEY TACKLE CONCEPTS WE DON'T NORMALLY SEE IN ENGAGING PICTURE BOOKS. Don't shy away from reading books like this aloud to students. They will not master understanding of the concepts but they sure will be inspired to learn more. This would be a great to read aloud when you launch a unit on this topic!
BTW the pictures may feel very primary, but this book is really geared towards grades 2-5 audience.
August 13, 2021
Easily a 4.5 stars when I started it I thought "Oh no! He is using terms that are going make it so kids won't get it." But my fears were short lived! Words that I thought were going confuse kid were quickly and easily explain. In fact I thought I knew all I needed to know about gravity, but I learned something!
Another Great one by David Adler
Another Great one by David Adler
March 24, 2021
Lively illustrations, created with ink washes and then put together and digitally colored, accompany accessible text explaining the concept of gravity. As he typically does in his books for children, author David A. Adler makes the topic easy to understand with several practical examples while also providing a brief overview of how gravity was discovered. But that's just the beginning. Anyone trying to understand gravity must also have some knowledge of mass, matter, inertia and weight, and the text covers those as well as discussing the difference in weight of an apple on Earth and one on the Moon. The book concludes with activities relating to resistance, all of them requiring easy-to-find objects, and a glossary of terms. This picture book will fit easily into any science classroom library or as part of a lesson on the topic of, yes, gravity. After all, there's more to gravity than Sir Isaac Newton.
September 30, 2025
A picture book introduction to gravity, mass vs weight, and inertia.
Even though this is a picture book it doesn’t skimp on the science. This is a very thorough introduction to gravity, mass, weight, and inertia. It isn’t very long, but the science may be a bit much for some young readers to take in all at once. (This is some big stuff to wrap your head around.) But it is detailed enough even middle school teachers could use this for a sufficient covering of the topic.
Even though this is a picture book it doesn’t skimp on the science. This is a very thorough introduction to gravity, mass, weight, and inertia. It isn’t very long, but the science may be a bit much for some young readers to take in all at once. (This is some big stuff to wrap your head around.) But it is detailed enough even middle school teachers could use this for a sufficient covering of the topic.
March 24, 2021
This book contained a vast amount of information on gravity. I believe that it was written and presented well, especially for younger readers. I can picture this book in a classroom with students 3rd grade and up.
October 7, 2025
Read about what gravity, mass, weight, inertia, and air resistance are and how they relate to one another.
These science terms and concepts were explained well and the illustrations were helpful and adorable!
These science terms and concepts were explained well and the illustrations were helpful and adorable!
Want to Read
August 5, 2020Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
March 11, 2021
Excellent! I can't wait to give this to my kids.
April 12, 2021
Solid information, but a bit of a disconnect between the juvenile illustrations (why that mouse?) and the content of the text.
August 13, 2023
4 stars
Actually a pretty good children's book
P.S. book #6
Actually a pretty good children's book
P.S. book #6
September 26, 2025
It's on my 3rd grade classroom wish list. Love the pictures and how Adler defines the words he uses for the most part.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews