“Mammoth Science: The Big Ideas That Explain Our World”

Written and illustrated by David Macaulay

DK; 160 pages; $19.99; ages 8-10

“Mammoth” refers to the scope of this superb, onestop introduction to science and to the nowextinct creatures that dance across pages to present physics, chemistry, biology, geology and astronomy. Quirky mammoths take on topics from atoms to the Andromeda Galaxy, including density and gravity, growth and development, floating and flying, chemical reactions and climate, and so on. It’s fun to see an Xray of a mammoth torso and fossils uncovered by the shrew. Here, the awardwinning Macaulay, wellknown for “The Way Things Work,” again builds science literacy and promotes STEM learning in an impressive compendium that invites a deep dive or just browsing.