I could see kids devouring this book. The author found the perfect balance between educating and informing, without being overwhelming or over the heads of the intended audience. I liked that it had history, good chemicals, bad chemicals, and related the topic to things children would understand.

I appreciate that there are few inaccuracies of the science in Chemical World by Rowena Rae. I could see this book being a supplement for further reading but I think it paints an overwhelmingly negative portrayal of chemistry in every day lives. This books lacks the balance of positive and negative that would make it seem neutral and dips over into the idea of chemphobia. Also, as a PhD chemist, some of the organic drawings are just plain bad. These drawings would illicit negative marks in my courses and they should have cleaned up these drawings.

First off, this is not a textbook. It is a very basic explanation about different ways in which chemicals impact our daily lives and the world around us. There is a table of contents, but you can't really tell what each section is about based on the titles. There is a little bit of history about chemicals at the beginning in the first section. The next section is called Alphabet soup, though I was not 100% clear on why this was. The third section seems to talk about chemicals and environmental impacts.

It was a quick and easy read, with a fun tone to it. I would say this may be aimed at elementary or middle school kids--something to get them a little bit engaged in the topic of Chemistry. I would not use it for my high school students as there really is no information about chemical processes in the book.

Overall a nice introduction to the topic of Chemistry and our world.

Chemical World: Science in Our Daily Lives is a STEAM manual and ecology resource book aimed at middle grade readers. Due out 12th May 2020 from Orca Books, it's a compact 48 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The book has a logical and accessible layout. The author makes an interesting case for investigating the chemicals in the substances we use (shampoo, conditioner, deodorant), eat (food, milk, cereal), and the packaging our groceries come to us wrapped in. She wonders how they impact our world and our environment.

The following chapters introduce elements as well as the periodic table, the discovery and development of plastics, and many more topics. Each of the sections clearly defines introduced concept and is well illustrated and photographed throughout. The author builds on the introductory themes and widens them to show the interconnectedness of life on Earth and the impact chemical waste and plastic pollution have on our environment. She winds up with reader accessible practical ideas for action on an individual scale to heal the planet we all call home. The book includes a resources/links list including online links for further reading, a glossary, and an index. It's a very short book but information dense and useful.

The book also has pictures of young student activists. I liked that they seemed engaged in the projects that they were doing and looked like they were having fun. I also liked that the creative team made the effort to include a diverse group of kids in the tutorial photos (STEAM projects are for -everyone- and representation is important).

I've been banging on for years on my blog (and real life) about STEAM subjects and how vital they are for our future. This book would make a great choice for a classroom library, gift for a young reader, library activity project, or similar use.

Five stars, there's a lot to like here.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Chemical World is a nice supplement to any physical science class. This book informs how chemicals are found, created, and how they impact the world and humans today. I feel this book is good for middle through high school grades.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I usually love these books for the photos and descriptions of what is happening, what role we play and what we can do about it. While all of those things were true for this book, it was a little dense. I would love to be able to share this with children learning about their role in the world, but this book seems a little too advanced for that. While marketed as a non-fiction picture book, it is more marketable for older readers.