Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist's Microscope (Scientists in the Field Series)

I was sadly disappointed with this book: there's lots more text and pictures here about Dennis collecting stuff, than pictures of critters themselves. There's no attempt to explain the workings of a dissecting microscope, or a compound microscope, or a transmission electron microscope, or scanning electron microscope. I got the feeling that the author Kramer didn't have the first clue how to use a microscope of any kind, or ever used a computer to edit images.The vocabulary and page layout are aimed at perhaps a 4th or 5th grader. In stark contrast, the text and pictures would be of interest only to someone who's planning to be a scientist when they grow up. I'm not sure there's much overlap between those two groups!There are MUCH better books around, to spark interest in science! Don't insult your kid by asking him/her to read this book! If you're hoping to learn something about what you can see in a microscope, this is NOT the book for you, or your kid.

My kids love learning about all kinds of science (they are 6 and 4), including what things look like under a microscope. They really enjoyed this book and it was very informative and in easy language that they could still understand.

With this book, I've officially become an SEM photo nerd. To see this invisible world in such detail blows my mind. I'm giving the book to my 10-year-old niece; I hope she can appreciate the amazing technology that allows us to see and photograph pollen and bacteria so clearly. The book, needless to say, has incredible pictures and decent text. It's more about this microscopist than the things he photographs. If your purpose is to open a kid's mind as to the various avenues of being a scientist, this book's focus will do that.

Great book!

What a terrific book! I bought this, along with a microscope and prepared slides for a burgeoning 9-year-old scientist. The images are beautiful; the explanations easy to read yet still interesting (even to me!).

If you want a book of pretty SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) photographs enhanced with color, this book is for you. However, I thought it would inlude tecniques of collection and slide preparation. It did not. An example was that a special brush was used to collect dust mites.However, it did niether show, nor describe the brush. It was dissappointing that most amateur microscopists have compound microscopes (CM), and only one photo was using a CM.

This was purchased as a Christmas gift for a seven year old grandson who prefers non-fiction because he wants to "learn everything". He loves this book and keeps it out on the coffee table to refer to frequently. The pictures are really interesting and the text is appropriate for young readers who are interested in science.

The star of this book is the outstanding set of photos of things we otherwise would never be able to see with the naked eye or a standard microscope. The text is also very good, with recommendations of where to look for further investigations into the micro world.

t.k.