This is one of those books that you can use on two levels. The primary text is an almost poetic celebration of things that are small. Then you have the actual facts about the things that makes them amazing. A nice little niche read.

I was never able to read this book because the Kindle edition that I downloaded never worked. It opens to the title page and the first page after which is white. It says there are 20 pages but it never does let me scroll past. Since I use Kindle books and Kindle ARCs all the time, there must be something wrong with it.

Review:
The cover is very scientific looking and is what drew me to request it in the first place. The title was spot on with what my daughter was learning at the time. It would have been nice to see what was inside.

When I was about 8 years old, my parents got me a cheap microscope and I was obsessed with using it to magnify everything around me. This book took me back to the joy of seeing somewhat familiar things through a different lens.

Excellent, poetic prose as well as educational!

It is a very easy to read book, with the harmonious mixture of science and art, it contains very brief and concise information on interesting adaptations that we find in animals. The best are the electron microscope images of these extraordinary adaptations, with which these animals have had successful lives. For example, I was unaware of the fact that bees have hairs in their eyes so that sticky pollen grains do not adhere, surprising! Also many other interesting facts about birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.

A book that I highly recommend, I love that the use of this magnificent artifact is spread. Electron microscopes are highly specialized and expensive instruments that only Universities and Research Centers can acquire. I had the fortune to observe the operation of one of them in person and it is a superb experience. A highly recommended book to stimulate scientific inquisitive curiosity in children.

My sincere appreciation to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book

The first thing I noticed about this book was the absolutely incredible photography used to capture the nature being explored in this book. The colors are so vibrant and almost beg for you to try to reach in and touch them. And then the pictures taken through the high-powered microscope are just fascinating. I think the honeybee on the purple flower is my favorite.

It's almost like you have two books going on here. For the younger children, you can just read the larger rhyming prose. Older children will appreciate the detail that is given with the microscope pictures. For any of them, I have a feeling they will be inspired to learn even more about each creature. And there's even more detail in the back for further explanation, including a list of other books to read for further information. This is a great book to add to a science area.

Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a fun non fiction title that kids will really like.

The title of the book and the cover of this particular book complement each other quite well. Even though it doesn't quite give away what the reader may find in the pages it is tempting enough to encourage the reader to dive right in.

The book does a wonderful job of explaining that sometimes answers aren't the most obvious replies to what you see and explores how if you can magnify certain aspects you will just see how powerful that small can actually be. Almost a David defeats Goliath although in this case David is the stone that helps him to bypass the bigger problems that he is facing and helps him to win the day.

The book is a bit on the repetitive side as it reads "Small matters..."and then goes into what it can be. After that it explores how something that is very small assists an animal whether it is the razor sharp scales of a shark that cuts through the water, the barbs of a feather that helps it to fly, etc. Each entry is also accompanied by a SEM photo that gives the reader a look into the adaptation that is being updated.

What was the cinch for me was that even though the reading was quite brief and simple there is an explanation page in the back that discusses SEM miscroscopes as well as a few pages that goes further into depth on the adaptation.

For science classes and those who enjoy animals this is definitely a nice beginner book that will be a refreshing new view of the world around us.

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

SMALL MATTERS:The Hidden Power of the Unseen started as a fifty-word poem, and is Heather Ferranti Kinser's first book. This book is appropriate for ages 4 to 9.

There are colourful pictures on every page and many are taken through a powerful microscope. You can see the curvy spines on a cat's tongue.
Children can learn interesting facts about shark skin, butterfly wings, bird feathers and more. Did you know that hairs on a honeybees eyes block pollen grains from sticking to the bees eyes?

Thanks to Lerner Publishing Group, Milkbrook Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a temporary digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Posted on Goodreads, Savvy Reader, and NetGalley on April 15, 2020

Wow! What a unique and interesting nonfiction nature book for kids! Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the author combined incredible detail of animals with a picture of how we see them in nature. The detailed pictures show the part of the animal that helps them to be strong in different ways, even though they are so small in nature.

I absolutely love the simple facts next to the regular and detail pictures - what a quick and comprehensive way to teach kids about the strengths of small animals!

I had big hopes for this small book. It takes a few animals and bugs that are probably known to children and then focuses on one specific aspect of that particular animal or bug. The images are great and clear.
The focus however seem random or arbitrary. Why choose these particular ones and this particular aspect to zoom in on? Some of the terminology is also a big strange; there are elementary words and advanced words mixed in. This may help increase some children's vocabulary, it will confuse others. Depending on the stage of the child reading/having this read to them, the leap from concrete to abstract is going to impact whether they enjoy this book.
The book is arranged nicely and the images are crisp, but it still feels chunky and without a real flow.

Zoom into the tiniest coolest animal features. Have you ever seen a gecko's toes? In 'Small Matters' we get to go microscopic to see some of the most interesting and helpful animal features you can't see with the naked eye! Very fun and easy to read text will be enjoyed by anyone who likes to explore and investigate.

A fun and interesting science/nature book about how microscopic elements can have a big impact on life. Eleven different creatures are covered, with fascinating facts about things like the tiny hairs on bees' eyes that keep pollen out, or the teeth of the limpet sea snail, made of extremely thin metallic fibers, including iron, that are nearly indestructible. There are nice big photos of each of the microscopic elements discussed, and an overview of the scanning electron microscope used to create the images appears at the end of the book, along with more information about different things shown. Any kid interested in science and nature will enjoy this book!

#SmallMatters #NetGalley

Small things matter! This book is just 100% brilliant! Combining entertaining text with detailed colorful photography, Heather Ferranti Kinser teaches kids about how some really cool stuff in the world is very, very tiny. Tiny....but mighty!

From a sea snail's teeth that can eat rock to the gripping hairs on a gecko's feet, there are all sorts of really awesome, powerful small things that can be revealed with a microscope! The book also includes a lesson on the electron microscope and a list of books for additional reading.

This book could be used in an elementary science classroom or for supplementary reading. Or just as a fun book to enjoy! The bright photos and interesting facts would be appealing to reluctant readers. I like the message about small things being hidden, but mighty! Gives a nice perspective of the world....there are lots of really awesome things that we often miss because you have to look closer -- a lot closer -- to see them.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Millbrook Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen by Heather Ferranti Kinser is currently scheduled for release on April 7 2020. Can something small matter at all? Of course it can! In this book for young readers (who know a thing or two about being small), you can take a super close look at details too little to be seen with the human eye. Powerful shots from scanning electron microscopes show shark skin, bird feathers, the hairs on a honeybee's eye, and so much more, proving that tiny details can make a BIG difference.

Small Matters is a wonderful book graphically. I loved the combination of images, both in normal and microscopic proportions. The colors and images popped on every page and are simply stunning to look at all on their own. I also loved the text of the book, teaching readers of all ages interesting facts about nature and showing them that sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference, even if they typically get overlooked. I learned several things, for instance I had no idea that a bee's eye had hairs, while some things I did already know. I also enjoyed that at the end of the book there was more information on the electron microscope and nano scale, and the science behind their invention and use. The further details on the close up images, and the suggestions for further reading were other nice touches that made the book even better in my eyes. I think those inclusions help the book reach a wider range of readers, and allow the youngest readers to continue loving the book as their reading skills and interests grow.

Small Matters is a visually stunning book that would make a great addition to libraries, particularly in schools and classrooms.

Small Matters by Heather Ferranti Kinser is a fun way to introduce science to small children. This book takes animals that most children are familiar with and adds fun facts and a close-up looks through a microscope about each of them. These are fun conversation starters. The illustrations are colorful and engaging.

‘Small Matters’ is a wonderful book to pique young children’s interest in science. Each page features a different creature or concept magnified to show extreme detail. Stunning, vivid photographs and bite-sized information on each page make this a very absorbing book for children to learn about the natural world. What a fantastic, informative book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Millbrook Press for providing an ARC of this book.

Small Matters The Hidden Power of the Unseen is filled with colorful photographs to match the informative text. This book gives examples of the small things that make up animals anatomy yet play a powerful role. From the sea snail to the bumble bee the small parts are vital to their survival. This is a great easy to read scientific book that children of all ages will be fascinated with.

It is a wonderful picture book.
It introduces kids to concept of microscope and how this change when we magnify them.
With excellent pictures of magnificent magnified body parts of animals, it is shown things are different at microscopic level.
A very good collection of pictures.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

This book is packed with engaging information for all readers! Powerful photographs and interesting facts that will have readers turning the pages to learn more.

If the fact that bumble bees have hairy eyeballs grosses you out, then this book is not for you! Not that bees really have eyeballs as such, but you know what I mean. The book literally zooms in on animals and finds things that are too small to be seen with the unaided eye.

I don't know about you, but for me, some books are way too long. This was too short, because it was over before I felt fully-satisfied by these truly engaging images and revelations. I wanted more, but for a much younger child than me, it's probably the ideal length. It educates young children to the unseen world, and encourages them to realize that there is much below the surface to fascinate and learn. I don't doubt that the lessons taught here will be as useful in preparing us for learning about fellow humans as they are in learning about the animals presented here, from all walks - and slithers an flights - of life.

In some thirty pages, we meet a sea-snail, a shark, a butterfly, a bird or two, a snake, an insect or two, and others that each has a microscopic secret to success. For example, I'm sure many of you know that a gecko has a sort of 'suction pad' on its feet that help it climb the walls, but the details of exactly how this works are really interesting - and it's not really a suction pad! Each creature we visit here has a similar script about some aspect of its life. It turns out that 'small matters' are big deals! I found it fascinating and educational and I commend this as a worthy read.