What's Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? (Wells of Knowledge Science Series)

I teach accelerated middle school science and used this along with a lesson plan provided by MRSEC Education Group (Univ. of Wisconsin) on scale and size. My students LOVED this (no one ever really grows out of story time). This one book is packed full of well presented core science knowledge and I'm excited to see how it will help them gain a better grasp on this content throughout our school year. Very well done and I have now purchasing the entire set. I brought them home and now my children (ages 9 and 11) are devouring them. Excellent collection of books!

Book is ok. There is a lot of writing per page so better for an older child. Should have shown a very small barely visible animal like a flea instead of stopping animals at a ladybug. Oddly the book also skipped viruses. Plus, though it mentioned molecules, it skipped the larger proteins like ferritin or DNA... and jumped straight to the small molecule of water. Honestly, it is hard to really represent things like quarks that easily especially to kids, but it did a pretty good job. Also, the pygmy shrew drawing on the last page looks a bit odd - very mournful looking. I decided to keep the book, though the books in the series focusing on simple machines and the biggest things were probably the best.

This is a great book for your little budding scientist. The illustrations are great but it is wordy and detailed and can be pretty technical for a little one, I would say, younger than first or second grade. The first time i read through it, I thought there was no way it would hold the attention of my five-year-old. But, she loves it and wants to read it over and over again to my chagrin (just kidding) (no I'm not). Anyway, if your little one is inclined towards the sciences, he/she will love this book!

This is a great book! This was a really really awesome book for teaching about Adams and even quirks and things that are really big and things that are really small. It was entertaining to both my five-year-old in the nine-year-old and to me.

EXCELLENT. As I read the book with my daughter I was a little concerned the author would not keep going - maybe would stop at atoms. But he kept going smaller, to the parts of an atom and even down to quarks and other subatomic particles. A great introduction to these concepts.

We are studying atoms and matter, started the unit with this book. This does a great job breaking down the size of an atom for kids.

Our granddaughter was delighted with the book and took it to bed the first night. It encourages her in her desire to learn. She is just seven years old and the book was correct for her age group.

Purchased for my granddaughter to encourage interest in science.

I ordered this book for my 11 year old son to help him understand about cells and inside cells for his home education. I was a little concerned that it appeared a bit young for him but it’s so cleverly written and illustrated that the whole family really enjoyed it and we’ve all learned so much! Even grandad! (85) I highly recommend it for all age groups. I’m going to look at other topics by the same author.

I love this book (it's nearly as good as the companion "Is a Blue whale the biggest thing there is", which blew my mind the first time I read it and really appreciated just how little we are in the scale of things). I used it with my year 4/5 class, they enjoyed it and it helped them understand a little more about microscopic creatures, molecules and atoms. A lovely, accessible book.