You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Simple Machines!

Book excerpt: Simple machines are around us all the time and we use them every day. You might not even think of them as machines. Many are built into complex (compound) machines – but the simple machine is still in there, doing its job. Learn about how simple machines enable practically everything around us to work, allowing us to travel in wheeled vehicles, lift very heavy objects, fix things together and break things apart. You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Simple Machines! is part of a brand-new science and technology strand within the internationally acclaimed You Wouldn’t Want to Be series. The clear, engaging text and humorous illustrations bring the subject to life and stimulate young readers' curiosity about the world around them. Specially commissioned cartoon-style illustrations in full colour make these books attractive and accessible even to reluctant readers. Information is conveyed through captions, labels and humorous speech bubbles in addition to the main text. Illustrated sidebars headed ‘How It Works’, ‘Top Tip’ or ‘You Can Do It’ supply more facts, describe simple, safe experiments, or steps that readers can take to help make the world a better place. Each volume includes a timeline and a list of ‘Did You Know?’ facts.