Things That Float and Things That Don't

by David A. Adler, Anna Raff (Illustrations)

It can be surprising which objects float and which don't. An apple floats, but a ball of aluminum foil does not. But if that same ball of foil is shaped into a boat, it floats! Why? And how is it possible that a huge ship made of steel floats? Answering these questions about density and flotation is David A. Adler's clear, concise text, paired with Anna Raff's delightful illustrations. Activities that demonstrate the properties of flotation are included.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Stem, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

David 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)

Reviews

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science books are in high demand now and this book by seasoned author David A. Adler provides a clear explanation of why some things float and others do not. The author introduces the concepts of density and displacement by encouraging the reader to try a variety items in water, as the book explains the whys and wherefores. (OK, that might be problematic if it's a library book...hmmm.) Nevertheless, the digital watercolor illustrations are child-friendly, as is the text. Teachers will appreciate the book's simplicity and directness.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations made from Sumi ink washes and drawings illustration perfectly the introductory information about makes things float and what makes them sink beneath the water's surface. The author provides several examples of buoyancy and density and even encourages young readers to experiment with objects for themselves. I like how they are encouraged to make predictions and then record their observations. You can always count on David Adler to make science or math fun.

[Mummy Cat Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's book talks about just what the title says. It is not told in a story form but rather, tells information to the kids in a easy to understand way.

The subject matter can be a bit dry when discussing density and displacing water but the book does a decent job of keeping the kids interested. My kids seemed to check out but then I had one ask me later about the content of the book so things do have a way of soaking in.

The illustration is a bit quirky and at times had my kids giggling. This was nice to get the kids engaged in the book.

The text has vocabulary words in bold. These words are defined and explained. It is just the basics but I wasn't expecting more. There are a few suggestions on experiments to do with the kids. I hadn't known this before hand but this would be nice to prepare ahead of time to do the experiments while reading the book. We didn't do that and it was fine.

Overall, my kids seemed to like this book. The author did a good job explaining the science of water and the illustrator did a good job in being a little bit silly with the pictures.

[Alex Ronnenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: nonfiction
Awards: none
Audience: grades 2-5
a. The topic in this book is objects that float and do not float.
b. The topic of objects floating is presented in a kid friendly way because it includes examples of household objects that both float and sink. There are science terms that may be difficult for students to understand and in this book they are bolded with a definition and example next to the word.
c. In this book there is a title page, illustrations, tables. Some of the illustrations have arrows to emphasize the idea of sinking and floating. Important text is also bolded in this book.
d. This book could be used when introducing a science lesson about floating and sinking. This book includes science terms and fun examples of objects that float and sink.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great intro to water science around the house or classroom. It’s really an experimental unit of inquiry. It’s only modified into the story adjacent format because a) there aren’t organized instructions and b) there are picture accompaniments. I would absolutely say that doing this WITH the same objects they discuss is imperative to engage kids. My practicum CT had the kids read it and answer questions without doing the hands on piece and they just about rioted. WITH that component I think it’s a pretty powerful book though!

[Vishualee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3D features of a floating object - Density, Displacement, and Dissolution. These three concepts are clearly explained in the book.The artwork has pleasant color scheme and interesting sketches that go with the explanation.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful book from David Adler, explaining mass, weight, floating, and sinking. Loved it.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, but a bit dry. I think kids may still be confused by the concept even after reading this book.

[Christine Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great anticipatory book that I used when teaching 5th graders about the concepts of things that float, sink, and buoyancy. We briefly discussed what classifications a thing takes to float before we went into the hands on learning part of building a boat made out of foil and trying to fill it with as many pennies as possible before it sinks. Afterwards, I read the whole book to them to help answer some questions they had during their experiments.

It's an easy informative book for young students with decent graphics. 3 stars because I thought it would be written for upper elementary but it's more geared towards 3-4th grades.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great way to introduce kids to the "magic" of science. The laboratory was the bathtub and my kids had a blast learning all there was to know about density and water displacement. By far the best way to learn.

[Angela Zagumennyy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experiments that all children want to try out. This picture book gives children a good explanation of what we should put in water and what we should not.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story follows two children that set out to find out which objects float and which objects don't. They do varies on hand experiments to test the object. The genre is Non-Fiction and the grade level is 1st-3rd grade. I would use this book to help introduce the science topic of density to my students.

[Cortnee Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for young readers! The book is from physics standpoint, but includes a simple effective explanation of principles of flotation and density. The clear, logical text invites readers to experiment with different objects, shapes, boat, and to make both ice and salt water mixtures. The illustrations take this invitation further, showing a pair of children using toy boats, plastic bottles, pennies, aluminum foil, clay and ice to discover what things float and why. The illustrations in this book also add interest and humor, in combination with supporting and enriching the text that will keep children captivated. The book also does a good job of introducing children to a wide range of vocabulary terms associated with items that float and do not float, that children wouldn't have otherwise known if they would have never picked up this book. This book definitely is a springboard for further investigations that speak to children's curiosity and creativity. These include, but are not limited to: a sink or swim activity, constructing their own boats out of various materials and having a float or sink competition, learning about items that sink or float based on their density, and so forth and so on. I would recommend this book for children in grades 2nd through 5th.

[Yvonne Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a science geek I love this book. It definitely is a book that upper elementary - freshman science teachers should incorporate into their unit on density. It does an amazing job of explaining many concepts (density, cubic foot, water displacement, and solutions). It actually walks readers though the scientific method in a fun and easy to understand way. I appreciate the data table and the accuracy of how data tables should be constructed (title, labels, straight lines, hypotheses). Finally the book sets readers up for many mini experiments to try on their own.

This would be a great book to have for sharing because there are not many picture books that explain such a large science concept. I think it is important for upper elementary teachers and beyond to realize the role picture books can play in their teaching.

[Elizabeth Milliken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonfiction Twin Text Pairing #5
"Things That Float and Things That Don't was an amazing book that would hall teachers teach density among other science terms to their students. This book did a great job of giving specific examples of items that float and don't while explaining why it floats. I would pair this with the book, " Miraculous: A Whale of a Tail," by Walter Rouzer. Miraculous is about a girl who lived in a cave and reduced a tiger cup.She left the cave because of fear and finds herself on a ship, where a beast lives somewhere in the ocean. I feel that two books would work we'll together because both have to do with objects and things that float and don't. These books would be good for students 3rd-6th grade.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The colorful cartoon illustrations are simply drawn but effectively demonstrate the activities described in the text with large images that are easy to comprehend. New vocabulary terms are shown in bold and defined within the text but there is no glossary; this title has none of the standard reference guides of a nonfiction text, but the text itself does a great job of explaining the concepts in conjunction with the illustrations. This book would be wonderful to read aloud to a group of children in grades kindergarten through three to help them understand the concepts; the teacher could even complete the experiments as the group reads through the text.

[Bethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

#nerdlution day 3. 2.5 stars, half a star for the engaging and child friendly illustrations, this books is just okay at best. Some reviewers have commented that this book would benefit from a glossary and I agree. There are 5 bold words, in traditional nonfiction this would indicate a dictionary definition in the back matter. However 1 word, can, is bold for added emphasis. This book is literary nonfiction, but most literary nonfiction have some back matter, another drawback to this book. It may suffice for a read aloud, but not for scientific information.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book about science that introduces children to the Scientific Method - ask a question, make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis. The book encourages children to actually perform the experiments and make some up of their own.

It also explains the concept of density and the reason why different objects (and even the same object in a different form) float or sink. The illustrations are very colorful and cartoonish and I would recommend this for elementary school-age children. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[mg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally speaking, I thought the book was decent, but it didn't blow me away. Adler could very easily have added a glossary in the back (the vocab words were already in bold face). A separate experiment could be written out (in back, or in a sidebar) with the scientific elements (hypothesis, materials, methods, conclusion, etc.). A few more details like this would have made it a really outstanding book.

I will still recommend it for teachers/students studying density, mass, etc.; I will just always be a little disappointed that the book isn't as dense as it could be.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be surprising which objects float and which don't. An apple floats, but a ball of aluminum foil does not. But if that same ball of foil is shaped into a boat, it floats! Why? Clear, concise text, and simple and successful hands-on activities lead to fun and a fuller understanding of a scientific concept. This book does a great job explaining a tricky concept: density and shows lots of fun, simple experiments. The only drag is that there are two white children and a dog and I would have loved them to mix in some other races. Can't kids have a friend over to broaden the message?

[Terri Van Loon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The topic of this book is one that sometimes still baffles me as an adult! I think this book does an excellent job and explaining density is a way that is understandable for kids. Although the illustrations may make the book appear to be fit more for primary grades, I think the content of the book is excellent for middle grades as well. This book provides a wonderful opportunity to include literacy into the science classroom.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be a great introduction or supplemental aide to a unit on density! The concepts are very well explained, and the experiments described in the book would be very easy to do in the classroom or at home. I have yet to see an informational science concept book that was so fun and entertaining to the reader!

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this clear explanation of why things float or don't float. The art feels a bit young for the audience that I think would really get the content, and the salt water vs. fresh water differences felt chopped off for an abrupt ending. I wonder if that would have been better handled in end matter. But I still think the kid-friendly explanation and examples rock!

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son loves science and this book was perfect for him. Here is what he had to say about it: It is about things that float and things that don;t. If you like Science you will really love this book. It teaches you the science behind the ability of things to float or not. So cool, right? 4.5 stars

[Nicole Eschweiler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fun story about things that float and don't float. This book helps kids learn things about science such as density. This would be a great book to use when you talk about density with your students, or before doing an experiment to determine what floats and what doesn't. This book is very kid friendly and the pictures are great.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good experiments in here, but the book is a little deceptive. It looks like a picture book, but it's too long and talks about cubic feet and density. For teachers of younger students, this is a good book to show, not to read. Go through a few of the experiments shown. Feel free to create your own narrative if you do choose to read through it.

[margothere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent information that will help kids understand the science of why some things float and other's don't. Encourages experiences. Illustrations are good, but only borderline illustrative enough. The more I read the more I liked!

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A NF picture book that does a nice job of explaining density and buoyancy for young readers. Although lengthy, it not only offers explanations, but also experiments to try that reinforce the concepts being explained.

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mass, density, buoyancy, and all things floaty are explained here in pretty simple terms, easy enough for upper elementary kids to understand. Great for the science classroom, with some built-in experiments to try.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that explains the scientific reasons that some things float and some things don't for elementary students. Concepts of matter like density, displacement and dissolving are defined and discussed.