Solid, Liquid, Gassy! (A Fairy Science Story)

by Ashley Spires

Overview

Fairy scientist Esther is experimenting with the water cycle in this enchanting STEM-and-magic-filled follow-up to Fairy Science, a picture book from the award-winning author-illustrator of The Most Magnificent Thing!

When a pond dries up, fairy scientist Esther doesn't freeze under the pressure. She and her friends go full steam ahead for to make a scientific discovery!

Bestselling author Ashley Spires (The Most Magnificent Thing) creates a charming primer to the water cycle. Includes an at-home water experiment for the budding scientist in your house!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525581444
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Series:	Fairy Science
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	415,225
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ashley Spires is the author and illustrator of many books, including the bestselling The Most Magnificent Thing and the Binky the Space Cat series. She can usually be found making books, with a cup of tea and a pile of chocolate close at hand. While science was never her strongest subject in school, she's a big believer that there's a scientific explanation for everything—except maybe the internet. That is obviously 100 percent magic. Ashley lives in Ladner, British Columbia, with her husband, her dog, and far too many cats.

ashleyspires.com

Editorial Reviews

07/20/2020

Esther is a fairy who believes in science, not magic: “While the other fairies wish on stars, Esther conducts experiments.” The sprites have little patience for “her silly logical theories,” but when their pond disappears, Esther leads the way, using the scientific method to discover why. The skeptical fairies dismiss the science but appreciate the clever costumes Esther and her pals don to illustrate the water cycle’s stages—solid, liquid, and “gassy.” Fairy chatter, gross-out humor (references to pee and sparkling snot), and star sign jokes (“I’m a Pisces, so I understand water”) play off Spires’s accessible explanations of the scientific method and water cycle, but the premise feels forced—a STEM agenda dropped into fairyland. Twee digital illustrations depict a multicultural array of fairies fluttering in stylized woodlands. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

08/21/2020

Gr 1–3—Esther the fairy is rather unusual; unlike the other fairies, she does not believe in magic! Instead, she and her friends Fig and Clover prefer to examine the world using the scientific method. Their latest experiment involves discovering what happens to ice when it gets warm. Together, they make observations, conduct research, ask questions, develop hypotheses, and test to find the answers. When the nearby pond unexpectedly disappears, it prompts Esther and her friends to apply their scientific approach to a real-world experience. They extend their initial experiment and learn more about how temperature affects water. Even though the explanation is not as magical as the other fairies would prefer, Esther and her friends do their best to make reality fun. A delightful blend of fact and fiction, this book helps bridge the gap between magic and science for young readers. Straightforward text guides the story, while feelings and emotions appear in accompanying speech bubbles. This combined presentation makes the story accessible to a range of readers. Fairy-like hues of turquoise, purple, red, and green dominate each page, enlivening the many visual elements in every illustration. The complexity of the book's visuals makes it ideally suited to up-close examination. At the end of the book, readers are guided through a related science experiment they can try on their own, bringing Esther's story to life. VERDICT This is an enjoyable addition to lower elementary school library and classroom science collections.—Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.

School Library Journal

2020-06-03
Like its predecessor, series opening Fairy Science (2019), this outing is an informative science book masquerading as a cute little book about a curious fairy.

Protagonist Esther is a brown-skinned, purple-pigtailed, skeptical sprite believing wholeheartedly in hypothesis and experimentation over magic and wishes. While her classmates learn spells, Esther studies the law of density, and if there’s a choice to be made between a microscope or a wand, Esther, of course, would choose the microscope. Through lively digital illustrations and an airy story, Spires gives young readers a conceptual invitation to the scientific method. Esther and her buddies ask questions, research, make and test a hypothesis, examine their results, then draw conclusions. As their schoolmates prepare for the spring magic fair, the young scientists hope to debut their findings on the wonders of condensation. But no one, including the teacher, wants to hear about silly logical theories when everyone knows that ice disappears in the spring due to the moon’s sneezes. With drollery and humor, Spires introduces scientific terms and theory. Included in the back of the book is an experiment about the water cycle that uses everyday household items, creating an interactive experience beyond the book.

A solid choice for both storytimes and STEM curricula. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews