Phenomenal Moments: Revealing the Hidden Science Around Us

In an interactive children’s debut that explains myriad types of scientific phenomena, including viscosity and chlorophyll, science photographer and research scientist Frankel (The Visual Elements—Design, for adults) invites readers to view subjects she captured during her day-to-day life. Dividing the volume into five thematic chapters, the creator deploys high-contrast photographs preceded by a querying refrain (“What do you see?”) and accompanied by straightforward first-person text that explores concepts surrounding light and shadow, forms and patterns, visual history in nature, and more. Each section features striking, close-up images of everyday items and accessible explanations of the scientific reaction caught in the photo, as when coffee bubbles in a glass dish clarify the process of coalescence (“I observed the bubbles first making contact with each other and then ‘bursting’ to form larger ones”), and Frankel considers how a similar process occurs in clouds to form raindrops. Throughout, the researcher provides insight into the tools and techniques used by science photographers and, in an introduction, encourages readers to approach their own lives with curiosity. The result is a thought-provoking primer on the importance of engaging in careful observation to understand the world. Ages 13–17. (Nov.)