This is a simple first chemistry and physics book that introduces the concepts of electrons to children. *** Eddie the Electron is filled with simple cartoon illustrations that children will relate to. It’s a science story not a textbook. *** On the first reading of this story a child may just enjoy reading about this perky little electron, but it deserves more than one read to draw out the basic concepts of atom anatomy and bonding basics that have been cleverly introduced by the author Melissa Rooney.

Eddie The Electron is a charming book from Amberjack Publishing that teaches kids about atoms without them realizing they are learning. Eddie walks kids through what it is like being an electron inside an atom. He brings concrete ideas ideas that can help kids understand the concept of atoms. *** The book is entertaining and simple, with cute illustrations. You could read it aloud to younger kids or let the bigger kids read it themselves. Both would find it a fun read.

Melissa Rooney, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, used her table to share her scientific knowledge to entertain the kids and show them they’d enjoy her books. She had a jar with tadpoles at various stages of development for people to look at, and electronic snap circuits, which had many of the children enthralled while their parents looked at some of the books for sale.

Rooney thought it was “awesome” that kids were telling their parents that they’d rather play with the snap circuits than go for ice cream.

Each author had their own reasons for writing their books. Rooney said that she got into writing after she got home from working in Australia, using it as a way to use her doctorate, but still do something different. Her books were all originally self-published, but her first book, “Eddie the Electron,” was recently picked up by Amberjack Publishing.

As we all bundled up and piled into our car, Little Dude was mostly excited about riding in the wagon with his baby brother. They were all smiles as they bumped along on the brick sidewalks at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. One of the first booths we came to had a table covered with Snap Circuits. Little Dude listened with rapt attention as Melissa Rooney, an electrochemist, explained how batteries work: electrons are all crammed on one side and they really want to get to the other side. Circuits give the electrons a path on which to travel so they can reach the other side of the battery..

*Like* Eddie the Electron's Facebook Page for educational and engaging family-friendly information related to electrons, atoms, energy, the planet, the solar system... Eddie finds a way to implicate electrons in everything :-)

It’s a cinch to find books that focus on history, especially American history. Biographies, autobiographies, and historical fiction are available for all ages.

I’ve found it a bit more challenging, though, to find books that will help to introduce scientific facts and concepts to younger children in an enjoyable way.

You, too? Then I know you’ll want to learn more about a wonderful children’s science book I’ve found: Eddie the Electron.

Eddie the Electron is an elementary science reader that teaches some basic chemistry concepts in a fun and engaging way. This is NOT a dry science textbook – it’s an easily readable story laced with humor and fun illustrations.

My seven-year-old, Weston, really enjoyed Eddie the Electron. I loved seeing him so engrossed in the story line! He didn’t even realize that he was learning science.

Nothing about this book is suggestive of boring schoolwork, quizzes, or rote memorization. Instead it fosters natural learning that a parent and child can enjoy together–and that makes it a win in my book!

What has been most amazing about the reading of Eddie the Electron has been some of the facts the girls picked up about electrons just by listening:

• Electrons are smaller than a speck of dust
• Electrons can fly at the speed of light.
• A helium atom is made up of two protons and two electrons.
• Electrons get excited and move a lot faster when heated.

My kids loved Eddie! They were fascinated by how small he is, and by how quickly he moves. At the same time, Eddie had them laughing! Learning plus laughter is a win in my book, folks!

This little book packed a punch, as it led to discussions on the speed of light, size and whether there is such a thing as infinite smallness, and noble gases. Who says you can’t learn chemistry at 7, 5, and 4-years-old?? 

... Our two-year-old was most mesmerized by Melissa Rooney, who has written several children’s books. Our son even won a child’s T-shirt in a raffle she did. He was so excited to get the shirt with Eddie Electron on it, that he immediately stripped off the T-shirt he was wearing so he could wear his new character Tee.

Even though I was never found of science growing up, I don't want that to influence my kids. I want them to be able to learn about all things that interest them and also expose them to things that I didn't necessarily enjoy. That's why I'm so glad there are resources like Eddie the Electron.

Eddie the Electron is perfect for younger kids and gives a basics of what it's like to be an electron. The graphics are eye catching and the wording is fun and exciting. Ellie really enjoyed looking through the book and kept asking what all the items were in the pictures.

I won't lie; I was learning right along with Ellie about electrons. I love that this book is easy to understand for younger ones and it's a great way to re-introduce science for myself so that I can gradually feel more comfortable teaching it as Ellie gets older.

Thanks to a great kids’ book that I got the chance to review, though, I was able to teach my kids (even my toddler) about electrons and atoms! After we read the book, we did a few learning about atoms activities to help the kids retain what they learned. And so far, it’s working!

Check out some of the hands-on ways we learned about atoms recently!  

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the book is well illustrated and funny, so it’s perfect for kids! Especially kids who want to be entertained all the time (like mine). 

Eddie “speaks” directly to readers about where he lives (on a helium atom), what he does (rotates around the nucleus), and how his atom behaves (it’s a noble gas). There are so many advanced scientific concepts that are casually introduced in the book that it’s full of information for kids in several grade levels!

***

What I loved about Eddie the Electron was how engaging the story was. The kids were so interested in the story, especially Eddie’s frustration with Erwin, his fellow electron, that they didn’t even realize we were discussing a fairly advanced topic.

An engaging kids science book is absolutely the best way to teach elementary science! Textbooks may cover every topic needed, but kids are bored. They’re lost before the first paragraph ends, because they’re not engaged.  A good kids science book, on the other hand, draws the kids’ interest from the very beginning.

A kids science book focuses on small topics. It makes science fun to learn. What could be a better way for kids to learn science? 

For example, in Eddie the Electron kids aren’t just reading about how small an electron is. They see an illustration of exactly how small an electron is. Since we can’t see electrons, it’s a difficult concept to explain with words.

As kids tend to be very visual using plenty of pictures, illustrations, and diagrams are an advantage!