Under The Microscope

BEYOND THE NIGHT SKY by Chris Oxlade; New Burlington Books (Hodder Moa Beckett), 1996; 24 pps; $19.95
HUMAN BODY by Dr Nick Graham; New Burlington Books (Hodder Moa Beckett), 1996; 24 pps; $19.95

Reviewed by Vicki Hyde, NZSM

These are, in some ways, the book equivalent of hyperlinked Web pages, with fold-outs, pop-ups, acetate sheets and other devices that make these book so much more than just pieces of paper sandwiched into a cardboard cover. Most of the gimmicks work well, though cut-aways and acetate sheets work most appropriately when diving into the intricacies of the human body than into the innards of a star.

The artwork is eye-catching, except for the murky painted planets in the astronomy book which don't do justice to the real chiaroscuro that makes up our solar system. The text provides useful discussion of the material on display without dominating it too much. Solid spiral binding ensures that the pages stay nicely flat when exploring. Given the very reasonable price for books of this type, they make an excellent buy for a science-oriented child (pre-school to pre-teen).

Vicki Hyde is the editor of New Zealand Science Monthly.