 Max the Dog's Adventures to Other Worlds  
The Max the Dog Science Adventure
Children's Book Series
by Jeffrey Bennett, Ph.D.
illustrations by Alan Okamoto
Jeffrey Bennett has autographed all of his books sold here at Store Galactica
in support of the programs of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
Take off to the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter with the books of the Max Science Adventure series. Young children will love the stories and antics of Max the Dog on his trips into space, while "Big Kid Boxes" teach the behind-the-scenes science to older children (and parents!)
Each of the three children's books in the Max Science Adventure Series is far more than a well illustrated story on the frontiers of space. The author is an educator committed to both content accuracy and a rich science education experience. Each book was developed in concert with an impressive list of Scientific and Technical Advisors, and both teachers and students. In addition, throughout each book Dr. Bennett has placed "Big Kid Boxes" along the sides of the pages, where the science behind the story is called out in conceptually powerful ways, so that the reader may get a richer view of the real science.
These books are wonderful for parent and child to read together, for a cross generational educational experience fostering conversations for weeks afterward.
Teachers can be assured of the content accuracy and relevance to National Science Education Standards, and will be excited to see children's books focusing on science that is not chock full of irrelevant facts, but rather elegant approaches to conceptual understanding. These books are recommended for grades K-8 by the National Science Teachers Association, where the higher grade levels can make use of the "Big Kid Boxes".
For these reasons the staff of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education have embraced Jeffrey Bennett's books in our Science You Can Trust section here at Store Galactica.
Awards
All the Max books have been widely honored for their unique combination of story, art, and science—
 Learning Magazine Teachers' Choice Award (selected by teachers)
2010 award for Max Goes to Mars
 Creative Child Magazine Children's Book Awards
2009 Preferred Choice Award to Max Goes to Jupiter
2009 Preferred Choice Award to Max Goes to Mars
2009 Preferred Choice Award to Max Goes to the Moon
 Young Voices Foundation Children's Awards
2009 Gold Medal to Max Goes to Jupiter
2009, Gold Medal, Legacy category to Max Goes to Mars
2009 Silver Medal, Legacy category to Max Goes to the Moon
 PTPA (Parent Tested Parent Approved) Media Award Program
2009 Award to Max Goes to Jupiter
 Nautilus Book Awards, Children's Category
2009 Silver Medal to Max Goes to Jupiter
A Message from the Author
To Children Around the World:
Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams and work hard to create a world in which
we can all live together in peace as we reach for the stars.
About the Author
 Jeffrey Bennett holds a B.A. in Biophysics from the
University of California at San Diego and an M.S. and Ph.D. in
Astrophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He currently
specializes in mathematics and science education, spending most of his
time as a writer, along with speaking to audiences ranging from
elementary school children to college faculty, and offering teacher
in-service workshops. He has taught extensively at all levels,
including having founded and run a private science summer school for
elementary and middle school children. At the college level, he has
taught more than fifty classes in astronomy, physics, mathematics, and
education. He is the author of leading college textbooks in four distinct subject areas:
astronomy, mathematics, statistics, and astrobiology (life in the
universe). He has written two books for general public — On the Cosmic Horizon (Addison Wesley, 2001) and Beyond UFOs
(Princeton University Press, 2008); the latter was selected in 2008 by
Miami University as their Convocation book for all incoming students to
read. He is also the creator and author of the children's series
"Science Adventures with Max the Dog," which includes Max Goes to the Moon, Max Goes to Mars, and Max Goes to Jupiter. Through his "Max Goes to Schools"
donation program, he has donated copies of one or more of his
children's books to more than 10,000 elementary schools across the
nation.
Among his other major endeavors, he served two years
as a Visiting Senior Scientist at NASA Headquarters, where his
achievements included creating the Initiative to Develop Education
through Astronomy (originally IDEA, now called IDEAS), developing the
Perspectives From Space theme (and creating its poster set) for
International Space Year, and helping start the program known as Flight
Opportunities for Science Teacher EnRichment (FOSTER), which flew
teachers on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and will soon be taking
teachers on the SOFIA airborne observatory.
Perhaps his most visible achievements have been his
work in developing educational scale models of the solar system. He
proposed the idea for and helped develop both the Colorado Scale Model Solar System (on the University of Colorado campus) and the Voyage Scale Model Solar System on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Among his current projects, he is one of the founders of Big Kid Science,
a new company dedicated to educating and inspiring children with the
wonders of science. When not working, he enjoys participating in
masters swimming and the daily adventures of life with his wife Lisa,
children Grant and Brooke, and dog Cosmo.
|
