Ringstad, Arnold. Take It Apart. The Child’s World, 2020. $20 ea. $240 set of 12. 24 p. K-3.

What’s Inside a Clock? 978-1-503-83207-7.
What’s Inside a Computer Mouse? 978-1-503-83209-1.
What’s Inside a Digital Camera? 978-1-503-83238-1.
What’s Inside a Drone? 978-1-503-83237-4.
What’s Inside a DVD Player? 978-1-503-83204-6.
What’s Inside Headphones? 978-1-503-83236-7.
What’s Inside a Keyboard? 978-1-503-83206-0.
What’s Inside a Radio? 978-1-503-83203-9.
What’s Inside a Remote Control? 978-1-503-83235-0.
What’s Inside a Remote-Controlled Car? 978-1-503-83205-3.
What’s Inside a Toaster? 978-1-503-83208-4.
What’s Inside a VCR? 978-1-503-83210-7.

By introducing the different parts of various objects and providing instructions for taking these objects apart, this series encourages students to learn how everyday household items work. Captions and labeled photographs provide additional assistance throughout the process of disassembly. Complete with a table of contents, index, glossary, and sources for further research, this series would make a great addition to any STEM collection.

THOUGHTS: I personally received What’s Inside a Computer Mouse? and What’s Inside Headphones?, and I must admit that I initially judged these books by their covers. I thought they simply described these tools and how they worked, and I was skeptical about how interesting they could possibly be. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when I realized that the books actually provide instructions for taking these objects apart. What a fantastic idea for hands-on STEM learning! Disassembling these various objects would probably require some adult assistance for young elementary students, but I could totally see this being done in an elementary makerspace or science class with teacher assistance—perhaps even as a small group activity. Such an activity would be an excellent way to teach about concepts like circuit boards, switches, electromagnetism, and much more.

620 Engineering          Julie Ritter, PSLA Member