Power Up

by Seth Fishman, Isabel Greenberg (Illustrator)

Overview

“Innovative.” —New York Times Book Review

“For the four- to eight-year-old who goes nonstop.” —Philadelphia Tribune

The companion to the popular and award-winning A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars.

This captivating and educational picture book from Seth Fishman and Isabel Greenberg introduces young readers to basic facts about energy and the human body. Fun, informative and accessible, Power Up is perfect for classroom and family sharing. A great title to read along with Andrea Beaty’s Ada Twist, Scientist and Oliver Jeffers’s Here We Are. 

Did you know there is enough energy in your pinkie finger to power an entire city? And that everything you do—running, jumping, playing, and exploring—uses that same energy inside of you?

In the companion to the acclaimed A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars, Seth Fishman and Isabel Greenberg explore the relationship between energy and the human body, breaking down complicated concepts into small, child-friendly segments. Seth Fishman’s playful text explores the science behind the most energetic kids, while Isabel Greenberg’s vibrant illustrations offer plenty for children to explore in multiple readings.

Ideal for curious kids and classroom learning, this engaging book is for fans of Elin Kelsey’s You Are Stardust and John Scieszka’s Science Verse.

This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share in the classroom or at home, in particular for children ages 4 to 6.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062981974
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	295,554
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Seth Fishman is the author of A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor book and winner of the Mathical Prize, as well as Power Up and The Ocean in Your Bathtub, all illustrated by Isabel Greenberg. He lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.

Isabel Greenberg goes through 57 paintbrushes in a year and draws for 6 hours a day with 4 to 5 cups of tea to keep her going. She has written 2 graphic novels and illustrated 5 books for children. She lives in London. www.isabelnecessary.com

Editorial Reviews

Fishman begins this work with an unbelievable but true statement about how there is enough energy in a person’s pinkie finger to power a large city for an entire day. ...A great introduction to human physiology that affirms just how special our bodies are.” — School Library Journal

“The creative team behind A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars turns from astronomical bodies to the human body. . . .An inspirational companion to traditional health books and mindfulness activities.” — ALA Booklist

“Math and science enthusiasts, this one’s for you! . . .Parents and kids alike will appreciate the book’s exhortation to stay curious. A fresh, scientific look at one aspect of the incredible human body.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The text presents information with clarity, humor, and, above all, wonder—both at the amazing human body and at everything it allows the child reader to do, think, learn, and discover.” — The Horn Book

“Your pinkie, this innovative book explains, ‘has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world’ for a day. Fishman and Greenberg (A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars) turn something kids instinctively understand – the energy in our bodies – into a lesson in biology and physics, and the real importance of food and sleep.” — New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

Your pinkie, this innovative book explains, ‘has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world’ for a day. Fishman and Greenberg (A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars) turn something kids instinctively understand – the energy in our bodies – into a lesson in biology and physics, and the real importance of food and sleep.

New York Times Book Review

The text presents information with clarity, humor, and, above all, wonder—both at the amazing human body and at everything it allows the child reader to do, think, learn, and discover.

The Horn Book

Fishman and Greenberg…turn something kids instinctively understand…into a lesson in biology and physics…

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

The creative team behind A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars turns from astronomical bodies to the human body. . . .An inspirational companion to traditional health books and mindfulness activities.

ALA Booklist

11/01/2018

Gr 1–3—Fishman begins this work with an unbelievable but true statement about how there is enough energy in a person's pinkie finger to power a large city for an entire day. From there the text segues into an exploration of energy, from the stamina it takes to read a book to running, and how our bodies recharge through eating, sleeping, and exercise. At the end of the book, there is an author's note that explains how Einstein's famous equation can be used to find exactly how much energy is inside a pinkie finger. Complete with colorful digital illustrations that highlight the learning points throughout the book, this is a great introduction to human physiology that affirms just how special our bodies are. The author manages to get across the basics without bogging down the text with too much technical language, making it accessible to younger readers interested in science. VERDICT A solid, upbeat addition to nonfiction shelves.—Jayna Ramsey, Douglas County Libraries in Parker, CO

School Library Journal

2018-12-05

Math and science enthusiasts, this one's for you!

Fishman and Greenberg, the author and illustrator team of A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (2017), take readers on a journey through the amazing human body, noting that a pinkie finger "has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world for an entire day." This informational book explains how the body produces, expends, and recharges energy through such activities as eating, sleeping, and exercising. The author's note at the end focuses not on what the characters have been doing throughout the book but on Einstein's equation E=mc2. In child-friendly language, the note explains what an equation is, how Einstein used this one to solve tough problems, and how all of this relates to the body's energy. While this book could effectively be used in school lessons about energy, kids likely study Einstein's equation much later in school than this book's target audience. Greenberg's multicultural cast of characters models different aspects of the body's use of energy, the primary character being a black girl with her hair in two puffballs. While most of the characters have strangely angular features, the stark color contrasts and interesting facts will keep readers engaged. Parents and kids alike will appreciate the book's exhortation to stay curious.

A fresh, scientific look at one aspect of the incredible human body. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews