FICTION

Gravity Is Bringing Me Down

by Wendelin Van Draanen (text) & illus. by Cornelia Li
Knopf/Random/. Jan. 2024. 40p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780593375921.
COPY ISBN
Gr 1-3–Readers will be delighted to learn that gravity causes our falls, spills, and tumbles; in fact, “Leda knew the minute she fell out of bed—gravity was in a bad mood.” So begins Leda’s day grappling with gravity: splattering food, fumbling and stumbling, and generally having a rough time. A lesson at school helps to explain some rules of the scientific concept, but an afterschool trip to the children’s museum with her mom really brings Leda and gravity to some kind of an understanding. Van Draanen presents a fun exploration of gravity by making the science lesson engaging and accessible. And most everyone can relate to Leda and her clumsy day! Li’s illustrations colorfully depict the romp with gravity and Leda’s every emotion.
VERDICT Recommended purchase to strengthen and broaden science picture book collections; this makes concepts accessible to children and educators looking for another way into physics.
Reviewed by Cassie Veselovsky , Jan 19, 2024

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