This Makes That

PreS-Gr 3–This early graphic reader follows one child through a STEM-based classroom assignment where children are paired to explore the idea of change through experimentation. For their project, Annemarie and her partner, Tristan, are working with electricity. Readers will enjoy Tristian’s questions as he thinks outside the box throughout the story (“Can you use a cat as a power source?”), and Annmarie as she tries to rein him in. Annemarie and Tristan enjoy success with their experiment and extend their project to a lemonade stand. Their classroom has an old-school laboratory feel with a soft palette, while characters are illustrated in a cartoon style with round heads and simple profiles that exude personality and emotion. Traditional speech bubbles allow readers to follow the characters, their conversation, and progress with their projects throughout the story. Diverse skin colors are represented in the classroom.