“* Chin introduces youngsters to the concept of gravity, presenting the information in highly understandable language and in captivating paintings that will delight young readers.” - School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW “* Chin ( Island) takes his exceptional artistic gifts into outer space, painting with disciplined exuberance a series of spreads that explain the fundamentals of gravity.In his embrace of the wild possibilities of a world without gravity, Chin outdoes himself.” - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW With an elegant, spare text and playful, daring pictures, Chin's latest opus exerts a powerful pull all its own.” - Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW “* After stunning explorations of the Galápagos Islands and California's redwoods, Chin turns literally high-concept for a study of gravity's pull. Concise diagrams and tongue-in-cheek pictures that accompany the instructions are as entertaining as they are effective.” - BCCB, STARRED REVIEW

Seven Impossible Things Before BreakfastĮnter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.“* Charming.One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books.The short and wide trim size adds to the widescreen effect, as Chin uses pools of outer-space black in contrast with the fiery sun and blue earth across numerous two-page spreads. The illustrations are full of cinematic appeal (I should mention here the strange coincidence of this book arriving less than a year after the Oscar-nominated film by the same name). Back matter includes a section with additional facts and a bibliography. And Chin could have used any old objects to illustrate how gravity works, but he chose items familiar to a child – sand toys, a rocket ship, an action figure, and (meta alert) a picture book about gravity. The spare text is expertly placed (and sized), drawing the reader’s eye in ways that encourage understanding. I tell ya – one smart decision after another here.

The perspective shifts from the effects of gravity on earth to the heavens – how it keeps planets orbiting the sun and keeps the moon from floating away – before coming back to earth, finishing the book as it began. What is gravity? What does it do? What would happen if it didn’t exist? Big, bold statements (in all caps) are set to images that skillfully illuminate the text. With Gravity, Jason Chin (author of 2012 favorite Island) gets low to help explain a force that effects us all.

Although the field is getting better all the time, it can still be difficult to find stuff for this young audience that truly stands out. Often when people talk about low-level nonfiction, they don’t mean really low.

Gravity by Jason Chin