How Atoms Make Friends

Who knew that tiny atoms had such big personalities? Science meets social skills in this fresh, accessible look at the bits of matter that make up our world—and ourselves.

With playful prose and dynamic depictions that portray atoms as friendly characters, a renowned scientist and an award-winning illustrator team up to explore a fun and compelling metaphor as they present the chemistry behind the way atoms interact. Atoms make up everything we know. But did you know that these miniscule particles bond to one another, and that how they do so determines what kind of material they make? For instance, some atoms make friends by sharing their electrons, the fuzzy, buzzy bits circling their center. When carbon atoms share this way, they make one of the strongest materials we know—a diamond. Other atoms make friends by giving an electron away (like sodium) to an atom that will take it (like chlorine). There are other atoms (such as copper) that join an atomic community where each atom donates electrons and pools them together. And some atoms prefer to be alone, because they have all the electrons they need (looking at you, helium). With backmatter going into more detail about the structure of an atom, the role that the outermost electrons on the atoms play, and different types of chemical bonds, this entertaining, educational book is one that kids, parents, and educators will happily befriend.