What Makes a Magnet?

Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2

by Franklyn Mansfield Branley, True Kelley (Illustrations)

Will a magnet pick up a paper clip or a feather? The answer is, just the paper clip. Magnets only pick up things that contain bits of iron. In this new addition to the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, veteran author Franklyn Branley explains the properties and behavior of magnets. True Kelley's charming illustrations will entertain readers as they discover for themselves what makes a magnet. Hands-on activities include making a magnet and compass.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 1996

Reviews

[Ardyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Will use it with our 9yo to explore magnets / magnetism at a basic level in the Spring.

Which materials are magnetic and which aren't? Why?
How to magnetize a needle
Using that needle as a compass
Polarity in magnet behavior
Impact of obstacles & distance on magnetic force

[Courtney Barter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Makes a Magnet? by Franklyn M. Branley explains the way that magnets work. It also gives examples of how to make your own magnets. This book connects something as small as a tiny magnet to the Earth that acts as a huge magnet. This helps children make connections to their world. As I was reading this book, I was learning things I also did not know as an adult. I believe this book would be quite useful for children to learn about the scientific process of how magnets work. Non-fiction.

[Lauren Prakke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational book describes how a person can go fishing for magnets. The book asks you to put many different things in a box and then grabs a magnet. Tie a string to the magnet and then on the end of a pencil and now you have a fishing pole. I thought this was a great idea to help students learn about what a magnet is or is not. When you catch something, put it in a pile so that we can see what they may have in common. A magnet picks up items that have iron in them and items that are done will not be picked up. The book then describes how we can make a needle into a magnet. The book describes different ways that we can make magnets and answers the ‘why’. The book ends by saying that magnetism is everywhere and that is why a compass works everywhere. This book is an example of an informational text and can be used for students grades 3-5.

In my future classroom, I would read this book and have students complete the different experiments that are being described. I think they are beneficial because students will be able to “go fishing” for magnets and can discuss what all the items have in common. Students will be able to see the different groups and try to figure out how they are different. The other activities are also beneficial because students will be able to test them and be able to see the results for themselves. Another idea is to use this book for students to self guide their experiment. I think for older students they could use the book to do the lesson on their own. This would give them some freedom and responsibility which the teacher can observe to see how well they handle it.

This was a WOW book for me because it did a really good job of explaining what needed to be done. I think this book can be beneficial in planning a lesson on magnetism during a science lesson. A teacher can use this book to allow students to self guide themselves while working on reading comprehension as well as investigating skills. This book is a series called “Let’s Read and Find Out” so a teacher may be able to find more books in this series to help students read and work on tasks.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by Melissa Michaelian

I would highly recommend this book to family, friends and educators especially for use with children aged five to nine and/or those in the primary grades Kindergarten through Third Grade. The recommendation is based on the book’s engaging, colorful illustrations and simple to follow text. The physical science topic of energy is simply explained. The book provides real-life examples of complex physical science concepts such as the storage and transference of energy by explaining how when an individual runs, jumps or hops that’s energy. Students can easily relate to the concept of everything that moves uses energy. Additionally, the inclusion of extension activities at the end of the book, “Moving Cars” and “Back to the Sun” provide hands-on activities which can be completed in a home or school setting and therefore enhance the book’s value as a resource.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a great book! I would highly recommend it for children to read because it gives a lot of great information on magnets. It explains what makes a magnet using various examples. I think that the pictures also help the children get a great idea on magnets. There are some activities that the child can do but with the supervision of an adult. For example they can make a compass with a needle and cork. I think that the price asked for this book is reasonable since there is a lot of great information! It would be great for teachers to also give to students.

[Kamdyn Dotson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that I have read. The best part, in my opinion, about this book, is the vivid images that it showcases throughout the story. This book is great for children in third to eighth grade, who are eager to learn more about magnetism. The story has many examples and experiments that readers can perform, such as making their own compass!

[Heather Meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book does a great job at challenging children to think about different things that would stick to a magnet. I like how it shows the children how to make different things. I would likely not use this book much in my classroom, but there is a small possibility.

[Christine Turner]

Why does a magnet pick up a paper clip but not a leaf or a penny? How can the whole world be a magnet? Follow the step-by-step instructions about how to make your own magnet, and then find out for yourself what makes a magnet!

[Justine Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational book teaches you about magnets and it walks you through a few activities to do.

[Hannah Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good to read in science when kids are learning about magnets.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

AR 4.3

[RJ Meehan]

Grades preschool-3
Level 600L
This book describes magnets and how they work, why they work on some things but not things like a leaf.

[Sarah Wurster]

What Makes a Magnet is a great non-fiction book about magnets. Within the book, you learn about more than just magnets. You learn how to make your own magnet, how to make your own compass, that the Earth is a giant magnet & the moon is not, and that magnets have a north and south pole. I really like how this book allows the reader to create their own magnet and compass from items that can be found around the house. I also enjoyed the part of the book that it gave the history of where magnets originated from and how the rock, magnetite was used to make the first compasses. I would definitely recommend this book to a student that is interested in magnets as well as use it with my classroom when teaching students about magnets.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Read and Find Out Science books yet. NOT A BEDTIME STORY BOOK--but a read ahead of time and set the experiments up kind of book. For sure don't let your kids read the experiments without doing them, let them discover the answers themselves and THEN read the book as a discussion for what they've done. SUPER FUN! We especially liked making a temporary magnet out of a needle and floating it on water to see that it acts as a compass! What kids (and adults) don't love playing with magnets?!

[Maleigha · Rating 5 out of 5]

students will explore the properties and behaviors of magnets as they read this engaging book. During my first grade placement last week, I used this book to guide my students into creating an experiment. They went home and found some sort of plastic bottle and filled it with water, they put objects inside such as a paperclip, eraser, and nail. They then brought them into class where we experimented to see which objects a magnet would pick up when the student ran it across the outside of the bottle. This book was very helpful and my students loved it!

[Julian Franklin]

This book is about a little girl who explores what a magnet can to and how it is made. She learns that magnets can only pick up metal and that compasses are based on the magnetic pole of the earth. This book provides information in an easy to understand way. For this lesson, I would conduct a science experiment. I would have a chart that had several objects with a column for the student to list if the object is magnetic and a "why" column. After conducting the experiment, the students would have to explain why the object was magnet. This activity would build vocabulary and comprehension.

[Janice Redding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read to first graders while doing a unit on magnets. It talks about science terms such as attract and repel. In addition, it talks about how different things that magnets can attract. I can implement a fun activity where the students can test out different items and demonstrate how magnets attract. I think this would be a good book for students to learn about magnets and the different types.

[Kalynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book is a nonfiction books about magnets, it starts out in story formation, "Let's go fishing with a magnet". From there it carries the fishing theme for a bit, exploring what magnets do, then leading to other types of magnets, including the Earth, the components of a magnet, and magnetic stones used in history.

[Betty Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun book to read to the students before the lesson related to 'magnet'. The teacher can make students to predict which objects can be attracted to the magnet by listing the objects such as a penny, a dime, rubber bands, piece of paper etc. that mentioned in the book.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can be used to teach students about magnets. The students can make predictions about what objects are attracted to magnets. This book also explains the properties of magnets in terms that students will understand.

[Brittney · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What Makes a Magnet?" is a very informative book. It is a wonderful book for curious students. It takes the reader on an informational lesson on magnets. I would use this book in my classroom for a science project.

[Jean-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect picture book to introduce magnets to a young student. It includes instructions for a few easy activities, like magnetizing a needle and making a compass. The illustrations complement the copy well.

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this text as a read aloud during science ! This book selection made teaching easy that day! The students will enjoy it and gain some prior knowledge before whole group!
You can also put it in a center for reading!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book years ago and really loved it. It's a great introduction to magnets with a simple experiment to try (which we did and it worked). Great for the elementary grades.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains how magnets work. It shows different things that can and can not be picked up with magnets. Would be great for a lesson that involved magnetism.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good for talking about magnets and how they work. This is good for a lesson about magnetism.

[Shelly Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for building vacabulary while learning about magnets.

[Kristen Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magnets

[Nakitah]

What makes a magnet, you ask? Well, this book talks about how magnets are made and the different types of magnets. This is a great introduction into a magnet unit.

[Michael D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for centering science lessons around regarding magnets.