School Library Journal
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Gr 4 Up-The popular "guide to the workings of machines" (Houghton, 1988) has been updated to include the digital world. Of the 80 new pages advertised on the cover, 60 are found in the added section on computer technology. Very few items (parking meters and bicycle brakes) have disappeared into obsolescence, a few new ones have appeared (camcorders and airbags), and cosmetic changes are evident throughout in the enhanced color printing. The features that made the first edition a publishing phenomenon remain. Macaulay's clear and comprehensible drawings are accompanied by Neil Ardley's explanations, and in this edition the technical writer gets credit for his expertise on the title page. The bemused woolly mammoth of the original edition continues to demonstrate his prehistorically simple ideas on such concepts as heat, pressure, fire fighting, sending messages, etc., adding whimsical entries to entertain browsers. While much of the material remains unaltered, the significance of computer technology in our world makes this new edition a vital update or new purchase.-Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The Great Woolly Mammoth and his inventor friend have obviously been hard at work creating this new, updated version of David Macaulay's classic about scientific principles applied to the world around us. This time users can go to Mammoth School (and engage in interactive learning via test questions and researching answers), use a log book (to scout the disc's terrain, track your progress, and earn test certificates), enter Bill's Digital Domain (covering digital developments from Global Positioning Systems to ATMs, the Internet, cell phones, DVD, and virtual reality), poke through a Warehouse of mechanical devices, explore the principles of science (using levers, pulleys, friction, cams, etc.), study science throughout history, read about noted inventors, and‘best of all‘watch hilarious Mammoth Movies that provide a context for all the scientific stuff. Bottom Line: This disc is destined for our "Best of 1998 List": a complete revision that's even better than the spectacular original. Highly recommended for every home and library collection. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Age: 4-6 New Edition/Reissue: New ed. New Edition/Reissue: 1988 An update of the heralded original, this edition includes a new section on """"The Digital Domain""""--computer keyboards, compact disk players, and e-mail. Glos., ind. Horn Rating: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Gr. 6 and up. In this revised edition of a fascinating 1988 introduction to modern machines, the artwork appears more vivid, and the text has been updated (for example, the record player is termed obsolete; the self-winding watch has been added). The first four sections (and "Eureka," the historical roundup of machines), however, are much as they were in the first book. The biggest change is an added section, "Digital Domain," which incorporates information on computers, some of which was presented in the earlier edition, and greatly expands on it, including explanations of a number of other digital-based devices--from the scanner to the compact disc player. Like the other sections, the new one is a ready combination of text bytes, labeled cutaway diagrams, and the occasional cartoon appearance of a woolly mammoth who functions as spectator, test pilot, and guinea pig to demonstrate the laws of physics and machine technology. The emphasis on the visuals makes the science easier to grasp as well as fun to browse. A sure bet for both adult and juvenile collections. --Stephanie Zvirin