The Periodic Table: Elements with Style!
The scope and qualities of this unique book are summed up better in its subtitle than in its title. While Dingle does little to explain the periodic table, he shows all the elements of the periodic table on a chart with very original graphics and spotlights 64 of the elements for closer examination on single pages or double-page spreads. Placed against a list including an element's symbol, atomic number, atomic weight, color, standard state, and classification, the element introduces itself in one, two, or three cheeky but informative paragraphs that focus on its qualities and uses. Each presentation ends with the element's date of discovery or earliest known use, its density, its melting point, its boiling point, and a digitally assisted color illustration with a distinctively Japanese, cartoonlike quality. The endpapers feature a glossary and an illustrated foldout poster of the periodic table. The quirky, idiosyncratic artwork and the unusual voice make this little book an appealing choice for introducing elements of the periodic table. Phelan, Carolyn