I Am a Book. I Am a Portal to the Universe.
- Downloads：3796
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-17 11:31:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Stefanie Posavec
- ISBN：024140875X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020
Hello。 I am a book。 But I'm also a portal to the universe。
I have 112 pages， measuring 20cm high and wide。 I weigh 450g。 And I have the power to show you the wonders of the world。
Lift me up to the sky， rest me on your lap， drop me from a height， wear me as a hat。 Together， through data， we'll uncover the stories hidden in the everyday。 How long is an anteater's tongue？ How tiny is the DNA in your cells？ How fast is gold mined？ How loud is the sun？ And how many stars have been born and exploded in the time you've taken to read this sentence？
Hold me in your hands and let me show you what I'm made of - and what waits for you in the corners of our awe-inspiring universe。
Hello。 I am a book。 But I'm also a portal to the universe。
I have 112 pages， measuring 20cm high and wide。 I weigh 450g。 And I have the power to show you the wonders of the world。
Lift me up to the sky， rest me on your lap， drop me from a height， wear me as a hat。 Together， through data， we'll uncover the stories hidden in the everyday。 How long is an anteater's tongue？ How tiny is the DNA in your cells？ How fast is gold mined？ How loud is the sun？ And how many stars have been born and exploded in the time you've taken to read this sentence？
Hold me in your hands and let me show you what I'm made of - and what waits for you in the corners of our awe-inspiring universe。
Reviews
Amy
，
I came across this book in connection to Dear Data。 My husband struggled to find me a copy （live in the US）， but did eventually find a copy he could get to me by Christmas。 I was expecting a novel way to approach sharing information， and was not disappointed。 You can passively read the book， but you'll get so much more out of it if you follow the instructions on each page to engage。 It's reading with more of your sense engaged and a very fulfilling experience。I read most of it to myself， but rea I came across this book in connection to Dear Data。 My husband struggled to find me a copy （live in the US）， but did eventually find a copy he could get to me by Christmas。 I was expecting a novel way to approach sharing information， and was not disappointed。 You can passively read the book， but you'll get so much more out of it if you follow the instructions on each page to engage。 It's reading with more of your sense engaged and a very fulfilling experience。I read most of it to myself， but read portions of it to my four nephews （under the age of 11）， and they cackled with delight at each page。 Everyone dutifully stuck out their tongues to compare them to the tongue of a skipper butterfly。 They jumped up in excitement when we had to drop the book on the ground to hear what sound the sun makes on a small small scale。 And when we went in for family dinner， they were excitedly telling everyone about how time passes differently depending on how far away from the center of the Earth you are。I'd recommend this book for children of all ages - up to and including adults！ 。。。more
Brian Clegg
，
Although not providing a direct parallel， there's something reminiscent here of Jan Pienkowski's wonderful adult pop-up books， which used a style that was more familiar in a children's book than something we would expect to find in a title for more mature readers。 Similarly， I am a Book looks like a children's book （handling it， it feels strangely like a board book， though it proudly announces on the back that it has 112 pages） and in the mildly outrageous claim to be a 'portal to the universe'。 Although not providing a direct parallel， there's something reminiscent here of Jan Pienkowski's wonderful adult pop-up books， which used a style that was more familiar in a children's book than something we would expect to find in a title for more mature readers。 Similarly， I am a Book looks like a children's book （handling it， it feels strangely like a board book， though it proudly announces on the back that it has 112 pages） and in the mildly outrageous claim to be a 'portal to the universe'。What we get is a series of very colourful and dramatically， if sometimes minimalistically， illustrated pages with small amounts of text， making observations about everything from biology to cosmology。Sometimes the approach can be very effective。 So we have a whole page dedicated to the words 'Touch this dot' alongside… a dot。 But the facing page tells us 'You just left behind 100，000 bacteria，' which is neat。 There are quite a few pages dedicated to demonstrating the size of various things using different graphic approaches。 This may be more in Rutherford's stamp collecting approach to science than anything particularly deep， but it's fun， engaging and quick to absorb。I am not convinced， however， that this approach gives us too much of an insight into what science is about。 Apart from anything else， the very knowing， first person approach used， as if the book is talking to the reader， is both irritating and hugely wasteful of space。 We get， for example， a whole page dedicated to saying 'With my four inks I can unleash an avalanche of colour'。 So？ Do I really need a book to tell me that colour printed books can show colour？Sometimes the content is， frankly， uninspiring。 At one point we get a whole two-page spread to tell us 'Everything is changing - sometimes slowly， sometimes quickly。 Things are beginning and ending， all the time。' No， really？ I'm amazed。 （Sarcasm。）I so wanted this book to be brilliant and challenging and different。 It is different， and sometimes inspiring， but I think it could have gone much further and contained a lot more。 （There is a short explanatory section at the back for each of the points made， but this kind of appendix rarely gets read。） Without doubt， it is absolutely great that the authors have tried something different。 But I am not sure that I am a Book achieves what it sets out to do。 。。。more
L
，