IT’S SCIENCE WEEK 2020, and I can’t think of a better way to get into it than by taking a quick look at some of the books that are out there at the moment to inspire children in science.
And I don’t just mean the expected, and often spectacularly illustrated and fun activity-filled non-fiction science books, but also the fiction stories with science themes. Because becoming a scientist starts with imagining it’s possible and fiction is all about that – stories, after all, are what fuel the imagination.
So, this little selection of books contains something of a mix. A couple of junior fiction books where the protagonists are into science; a couple of highly illustrated non-fiction science books for kids – and their parents – to pore over, learn cool stuff from and be inspired by; and a very practical, full-of-fun-activities book to get young scientists actually doing stuff. Here we go!
Let’s start with the fiction.
When I was growing up the main science-based fiction stories I recall reading were the Professor Branestawm books by Norman Hunter. Anyone else remember those?
The loveable Professor Branestawm with his five pairs of spectacles was an eccentric scientist whose hilarious and ill-conceived inventions got him into all kinds of scrapes. I remember loving this character and his adventures but to be honest, he wasn’t someone I identified with. He was a comic character and he and his fanciful inventions were worthy of laughter. When I think about my mental picture of scientists back then, it was a meld of Professor Branestawm and Einstein – with his characteristically wild hair. (‘Mad scientist hair’ was, in fact, something we always used to tease my father about!)
Now don’t get me wrong. I loved science at school. But I loved lots of things. I wonder, if I’d had a different mental picture from an early age of what a scientist was – if my picture were a little more realistic – would I have been more likely to have followed a science pathway in my adult life? Who knows.
Still, I’m glad to say that these days, there are more fiction stories to choose from to help young readers form a more rounded mental image of what it is to be a scientist. Not least of those, are books featuring children themselves as would-be scientists.
So, my two fiction picks are:
Edie’s Experiments: How to Make Friends by Charlotte Barkla, and my own chapter book, Marlow Brown: Scientist in the Making. Both these books are recently published, the first in a series and feature female protagonists who love science.
Edie’s Experiments came out at the beginning of this year and was published by Puffin. Marlow Brown: Scientist in the Making was published at the end of last year by Celapene Press. Both books are suitable for independent young readers and regardless of whether your child is into science, both books are a fun read and introduce readers to science concepts. Children who enjoy either one of these books are likely to enjoy the other though the storylines and writing styles are, of course, quite different.
For more suggestions on science-based fiction stories for children, including some with male protagonists, I highly recommend reading this interview with Alom Shaha, teacher, filmmaker and science communicator. Alom’s recommendations are for children aged 9 to 12.
Moving on to some non-fiction picks.
Who doesn’t like poring over awesome illustrations and fascinating facts?
My next two books are Tim Flannery’s Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing! published in 2019 by Hardie Grant Egmont, and The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals by Sami Bayly, also published last year but by Hachette.
Now, we all know who Tim Flannery is – Australian of the year in 2007, a mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer and public scientist – so it makes perfect sense that a children’s science book by him will be worth a little look. In his introduction, Flannery says, ‘When I was very young I often wished that I had a fun book that would tell me about the weirdest creatures on Earth. That’s what I’ve tried to create here, for you.’ I think he’s succeeded!
Sami Bayly, by contrast, is less well known but, at age 23, her first book, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals is no less impressive. It has won the Children’s Indie Book of the Year Award and has been shortlisted for the CBCA Eve Pownall Award, the ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children, the Australian Book Design Awards, and longlisted for the ABA Booksellers’ Choice 2020 Book of the Year Awards. (She’d have to be pleased about all that!) This is a book I’d have loved to have had as a child . . . and, in fact, I think I’d like a copy of my own on my book shelf as an adult too. Do check it out for yourself!
My last pick for Science Week 2020 is a ‘doing’ book.
Steve Mould’s How to Be a Scientist, was published in 2017 by DK Books, an imprint of Penguin. This book gets rave reviews on Amazon and Good Reads, and looks fantastic. It’s vibrant and engaging in its layout, and has lots of kid-appeal, as it should, given Mould is a best known for his educational science related videos on YouTube. There are lots of activities here for 7- to 10-year-olds to get into and lots to learn along the way. This is a book to get kids thinking like scientists.
For more suggestions on recently published non-fiction science books for kids I highly recommend reading this interview with Sheila Rowan, chair of the judging panel for the ‘2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize’ as she talks us through last year’s shortlist for the best science books for kids.
Happy reading and investigating to you all!
Kesta
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