Thank you to Netgalley and Charlesbridge for the digital arc.
This picture book packs a lot of information into its colorful 48 pages!! The book begins with the who, when, where, and how of rubber cultivation in the rainforests of Mexico and Central America by the indigenous people. When the Spaniards landed, they became obsessed with a game played with a with a ball that bounced, especially since their balls did not have that ability. Between scientific explanations of why rubber does what it does, and the scientists who developed uses for rubber, this is a fun history of the science . It concludes with the unfortunate environmental impacts of rubber. The author's note explains the reason for the use of the term indiginous rather than the specific tribal names. The back matter includes a time line and bibliography. All libraries should purchase BOUNCE!

BOUNCE! A SCIENTIFIC HISTORY OF RUBBER is a fascinating nonfiction book detailing the history of rubber. The picture book format mixes a series of historical anecdotes featuring uses of rubber with science, providing plenty of content to inform readers about the origin, evolution, and uses of rubber over time. The author includes detailed back matter that addresses some of the ethical concerns around rubber and provides an extensive timeline. Definitely adding it to my elementary school’s media center collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an eARC of the book with me.

Five hundred years ago, Europeans didn’t even have a word for bounce, much less words for a material that can be molded and shaped, stretched, floated, rolled and, most importantly, can rebound. All that changed when rubber balls, and the active games they allowed, were imported from the New World. Bounce goes deeper than anecdote, with the science behind elastic polymers and an eye-opening account of the inventions rubber allows. Varied and active fonts, paired with whimsical watercolor and ink illustrations, humorously convey the game-changing versatility of rubber and the stinky, tinkering experiments needed to overcome its physical limitations. An afterword adds disturbing details about rubber’s history. Back matter includes a detailed timeline, bibliography, and quote sources. Illustrations show varied racial ethnicities. Thanks to Charlesbridge and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy in return for and unbiased review..

Thanks to Charlesbride ans NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review

Another wonderful book by Sarah Albee and the same for the 8 to 14 year-old audience. This short but fact fill book about the history of rubber is enlightening to anybody. Filled with fun facts, wonderful, illustrations, and the authors eye to connect with her target audience, this is a book that should be on everybody's Christmas wish list if you have children, grandchildren, or friends. The author has carved out a niche in this age group category, and and writes books that are both historical and scientific in nature. This book in particular is filled with a lot of short stories to capture the attention, and then at the end there is a history of rubber timeline which sets for some of the major events regarding rubber. Including this book is a very basic discussion about polymers, how they work and how they are used with rubber. The book ends with a very complete bibliography of the sources used by the author in her research and just brings home the fact that while the book is aimed at the 8 to 14-year-old category, the research is as good as you were going to get on many other books, no matter the age range.

An engaging and nicely presented book on rubber. The title is a good fit, and surprisingly, this is not only about the history of rubber but everything on rubber. The scientific facts were some of our favourite parts.

This is a perfect book for upper elementary students and children. It provides a lot of information without presenting too many details, and offers lots of avenues to learn more about rubber. I learned a lot as an adult reader, too! Weaving together the history and science of rubber, this book tells a whole story instead of just one aspect of it. Highly recommend this and will be purchasing a copy for my classroom library.

In a nutshell, this book was very well-organized, easy for a kid audience to understand, but a little inconsistent in some spots. On certain pages, there was a lot of explanation, which was helpful and broken up into smaller and simpler pieces to get the full idea across. However, on the other pages the explanations were a bit sparse. I think that this might raise questions for readers (especially since they are younger) and might make reading a bit more frustrating or unenjoyable, especially if parents are reading this along with their kids.
Putting that aside, though, I overall liked this book. It was something different and you don't see a lot of scientific books for kids out there anymore. I liked that the author took something that people use in their everyday lives but don't think about that much (or at least not in this depth). The illustrations were executed really well to show the different key properties of rubber.
Lastly, I very much appreciated the author's notes at the end. While kids will likely not read these, parents might and that's really great. Then parents can potentially demonstrate the value and understanding of the darker side of the history of rubber, and kids will pick up on this (even if they might not comprehend it yet).

The history and basic science of rubber is explained in this simple informational book, from its discovery in what is now Mexico and Central America to its use in sports equipment, industry, and transportation. The engaging text has humor while still being clear on how the Aztec Empire was exploited after the discovery of rubber by European explorers. There are specific spreads on the scientific principles of rubber, describing how the molecules have a special quality that allows for its bounce, stretch, and shape. The pen, ink, and watercolor cartoon illustrations depict both the contemporary and historic aspects of rubber, featuring BIPOC characters. Extensive useful back matter includes author notes on the environmental and exploitive labor challenges of rubber, a timeline, and bibliography.

I don’t normally review Children’s books, but for some reason this one caught my eye.

I wish more children’s books were written in this genre- the actual science of how things are and not a made-up universe of fantasy. The text was very clear and simple, and the illustrations and artwork seemed well designed to catch the interest of a curious toddler.

The book had just enough science to stimulate an interest, without bogging down in details that would bore the average 5-6 year old. It concentrated on things a child could understand and might see in their normal activities- car tires, raincoats, etc.

I doubt the science presented will create any unexpected Nobel Laureates, but it may just be enough to stimulate the imagination of a 5 year old to spend more time considering how things work.

The book was beautifully written. The author made careful word choices that were very impactful. Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it.

This children's book certainly has bounce! For the truly scientifically-minded child, I believe this book will be fascinating and for the children who like things that bounce, they will be entertained and likely learn several new and interesting things they didn't know before about rubber, raincoats, balls and more. Household names such as Macintosh, Goodyear, and Hancock will be more than about apples, car tires and signatures. Accompanying illustrations help to bring the words alive in compelling educational manner. Indeed, I believe readers of all ages will be able to find satisfaction with what this book has to offer.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

May 2024

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.