Stuff You Need to Know virtually overflows with illustrations and information about 28 activities and objects from everyday life. In fact, the book is so jam-packed that eight gatefolds provide the extra room needed to explain complex activities.

Each item is on a double-page spread filled edge to edge with informative text in numbered sequence. Accurate, lighthearted illustrations reveal everything a step at a time.

The "stuff" ranges from taking out the garbage to launching a rocket. Here are some examples:

• Electricity -- Steam power, turbine, magnet, generator, current, transformer, mains, fuse, meter
• Making a Pizza (gatefold): How does a pizzeria deliver a pizza so quickly? Ingredients for the pizza base and topping, what they are, and where they come from.
• Microwave Oven -- Molecules, waves, cross-section of a microwave oven, protective layer, timer
• 3D Printer -- 3D model, CAD, programming in sections, nozzles, layers, spool, nozzle, acetone
• Setting Up a Satellite (gatefold) -- SatNet, geostationary, ACTS, transponder, thrusters, parabolic antennae
• Solar Panels -- Thermal energy, photo voltaic panels, pump, solar energy, solar power stations
• Toilet Tank -- Float, siphon tank, siphon ball, bowl, flow, suction, piston, valve, water supply pipe
• Weather Report -- Weather balloons, weather centers, satellites, GTS, supercomputer, chart, forecast.

Stuff You Need to Know! has the fascinating stories behind the everyday activities that we all take for granted. Readers of all ages will be surprised where the answers take them.