Looking at little things—things too small to see with the naked eye—can be big fun. It's certainly smart science, and award-winning authors Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone are here to show kids the basics of creating their own professional-quality slides and using their own microscopes. A whole world will open up to budding scientists as they learn to identify the microscope's different pieces, practice focusing, and prepare different kinds of samples for viewing. Illustrated throughout with photomicrographs (pictures taken through a microscope), and complete with a reproducible form for documenting specimens, this fascinating, in-depth guide explains how to put bugs, water, food, plants and pollen, and even parts of the body (like fingernails) under the scope for a close-up glimpse. Of course, there are troubleshooting answers to common questions and safety instructions for parents and teachers, too.