Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this follow-up to 2013-s Professor Astro Cat-s Frontiers of Space, Walliman and Newman-s blue feline-one part astronaut, one part scientist-guides readers through the fundamentals of physics, addressing topics that include the scientific method, motion, force, energy, and electricity. -Our moon is always trying to fly away,- Astro Cat explains in an early spread, -but the gravity of our Earth keeps it flying around us.- Newman-s posterlike illustrations, evocative of 1960s space age artwork, put a hip, retro spin on a variety of scientific concepts. A glossary and closing spread of -factoroids- discussing neutrinos, nuclear fusion, and the Earth-s magnetic poles sneak additional information into this appealing blend of science, history, and math. Ages 7-11. (May)

Kirkus Reviews (Sun May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Space-suited science guide Astro Cat leads a tour of physics, from molecules to the multiverse. The itinerary is broad but wanders all over the map. With Astro Mouse as sidekick and cameos from a supporting cast of animals and famous scientists, the fulsome feline begins with a description of how gravity works. The tour goes on with only occasional stabs at a logical order to cover the scientific method, a select few units of measurement, atomic structure, the periodic table, states of matter (the three classical ones, anyway), Newton's laws of motion, light, electricity, quarks, dark energy, and a bagful of other topics. Similarly, the blocks of narrative and Newman's retro-style cartoon figures are pieced together in assemblages of neatly rectilinear but hard-to-follow segments on the large, square pages. As explainers Walliman and Newman are anything but cool cats (atoms are "crazy small!"). If the language sometimes ventures into problematic territory—"Gravity is smaller on the Moon"; "The little 2 [in E=mc2] means you have to times everything by the speed of light twice"—at least their enthusiasm for exploring our "Strange Universe" comes through warmly enough to be contagious. A closing spread of miscellaneous "Factoroids" closes with an oratorical signoff: "KNOWLEDGE AWAITS!" Readers may pick up a few "factoroids" along the way, but more systematic tours are available for the booking. (glossary/index) (Informational picture book. 9-11)

School Library Journal (Sun May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 2-5 After raising a series of questions about how the world works (Why is the sky blue? How does a boat float?), Professor Astro Cat invites readers to investigate the laws of physics. The answers to these questionsand much moreare found in a generous collection of eye-catching spreads, each covering a different topic, such as gravity, atoms, metals and nonmetals, mass and density, forces, and Newton's laws. There is a great deal of information packed into this book, but it is all presented in colorful varied graphics that explain concepts and vocabulary to budding physicists or anyone interested in the laws of the universe. The variety of graphic features combined with clearly written text and doses of humor make this work easy to linger over or browse. It is also useful as a mentor text for readers to study before preparing their own infographics. The only drawback is the lack of a table of contentsit is not so easy to find your way around all this material.

ALA Booklist (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Walliman and Newman went big with their first book, Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space (2015), and in this follow-up, the space-suited feline professor gets tiny. Really tiny. After covering some fundamental concepts, like states of matter and laws of motion, Astro Cat and his mouse sidekick, Astro Mouse, shrink down to teach readers about physics on an atomic level. The bold, geometric illustrations in a mid-century, retro-futurist style and a bright palette of blue, orange, and yellow are a great vehicle for demonstrating concepts like speed, force, polarity, and so on. Each two-page spread is engagingly busy with activity, from Astro Cat and Astro Mouse enacting lessons, to the approachable and clearly written paragraphs of text. Some lessons get a bit muddled, such as the section on light and color, but others are more lucid, such as the section on forces, which uses the various motions of pushing, pulling, twisting, and snapping that Astro Cat and his sidekick use when getting ready for work in the morning. Eye-catching, playful, and, most of all, informative.