The colorful books in the STEAM Every Day series point out how science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts influence the development and design of products today. Each book opens with a textbook-like list of "Before & After Reading Activities". Drawn from many sources, the illustrations, mainly photos and digital art, dominate the pages, leaving room for a paragraph or two of information printed in large type on each double-page spread, along with a fast-fact box and the occasional diagram. App Development introduces topics such as the workings of touch screens, the transfer of binary information, and the art of icon design. A two-page presentation on collaborative work within an international app-development company leads to a four-page discussion of world time zones. Though a bit off-topic, it's one of the more informative parts of the book. Transportation presents a variety of technological developments in the field. A chapter on drones seeks to defuse fears by presenting their more positive applications, such as delivering humanitarian aid during natural disasters. The closing discussion promotes the many practical uses for nanotechnology without mentioning environmental concerns. Given the breadth of the topics and the brevity of the texts, it's not surprising that the content seems superficial at times. Still, the books may be useful as supplemental titles.
- Booklist, November 2016
