Under The Microscope

THE WORLD UNFOLDS: HUMAN BODY by Nicholas Harris and Joanna Turner; Viking/Penguin,1995; $24.95
DINOSAUR by Nicholas Harris and Joanna Turner; Viking/Penguin, 1995; $24.95
AIRCRAFT, by Nicholas Harris, Illustrated Martin Woodward; Viking/Penguin, 1995; $24.95
SKYSCRAPER, by Nicholas Harris, Illustrator Stephen Conlin; Viking/Penguin, 1995; $24.95

This series of of books is aptly named The World Unfolds as each is a 1.5 metre card folded inside a hard cover. The concertinas are designed to present an array of information, with factual snippets and some chronological ordering where appropriate.

The topics have been carefully selected to make use of the fold-out design -- the Human Body unfolds to show the skeleton, muscles, veins and internal organs; the Aircraft has a cross-section of a Boeing 747. The Dinosaur one takes a slightly different, but equally successful, tack, ranging dinosaurs from the very small to the very large alongside each other to give an excellent idea of scale.

The price is a tad high for what amounts to a 15-page hardcover, but they'd probably keep the children -- and many adults -- quiet on a wet afternoon.

Vicki Hyde, NZSM

Vicki Hyde is the editor of New Zealand Science Monthly.