How Do Seesaws Go Up and Down?: A Book about Simple Machines

by Jennifer Shand

Have you ever wondered how seesaws go up and down or how screws stay secure in walls? In the How Do series, readers are welcome to guess along with the rest of us--and then explore the science behind the right answers. Beginning concepts of mechanical engineering including levers, wedges, inclined planes, and more are learned through diagrams, photos, and informative and engaging text.

Genres: Childrens, Science

Audio CD

First published October 2, 2018

About the author

Jennifer Shand began writing after working with children for many years and after graduating from James Madison University with a degree in Psychology. She is now the author of one middle grade novel, The Last Elf Daughter, and eighteen picture books including the Why Do? series, the How Do? series, the Sounds From the ... series, and fairy tale retellings. The goal of Jennifer's books is to encourage laughter and learning.

Reviews

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic look at what simple machines are, the six types of simple machines, and examples of each type.

Shand's casual tone in the elementary text makes this concept understandable for young readers. She closes the book with a one-page review of each simple tool. Cartoonish illustrations by Srimalie Bassani feature a diverse group of children, usually pictured with a graph paper background. There is lots of action and plenty of things to see.

STEM material for youngest readers.

Additional purchase for PreSchool to grade 1.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Up and down that seesaw goes, and while it's lots of fun to ride on, curious folks want to know why and how it works. This easy-to-read book provides answers to that question and more while introducing young readers to simple machines. There are diagrams that are easy to follow as well as possible guesses as to why things work as they do, followed by the actual explanations of inclined planes, screws, levers, and wedges. The back matter features photos of various simple machines in real life, showing instances where they made life and work a whole lot easier for humans. This one is a good choice for elementary or intermediate science classrooms, but it's also just fun to read in order to understand what makes a jar lid, a door knob or a bicycle work so efficiently. Ah, the things we take for granted!

[The Loco Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great beginner nonfiction book on simple machines!

[Katie]

There are many things that work in the world and for the child whose favorite question is “why,” this book is the answer. There are many things included in this book like seesaws and jar lids, the simple things that adults take for granted but the unique science of how the simple stuff works. This book would be a great read-aloud for a science class or it would be fantastic to recommend to students who are curious at heart.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good explanations and examples of the simple machines.