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Dr Sheila Kanani Books

Measure the speed of light like Albert Einstein! Train to be an astronaut like Mae Jemison! Communicate with chimpanzees like Jane Goodall! This book will make YOU a scientist as you explore 25 different scientific ideas inspired by ground-breaking scientists through history!

Discover 25 of the world’s most incredible scientists in this fact-filled book full of step-by-step science experiments that are easy to try at home. From making your own volcano and extracting DNA from a strawberry to exploring electricity, evolution and gravity, this imaginative book is jam-packed with ideas for aspiring scientists everywhere!

Friendly, accessible text written by planetary physicist, science presenter and school science teacher Dr Sheila Kanani MBE, author of Blue Peter Award-shortlisted How to Be an Astronaut and Can You Get Rainbows in Space?
Featuring biographies of 25 fantastic scientists, plus an exciting science-based experiment to try on every spread.
Vibrant, full colour illustrations on every page and a stunning cloth-effect cover
Created in consultation with experts from the University of Cambridge
The fantastic follow-up to This Book Will Make You an Artist (“A great choice for curious and creative kids” – The Independent)

List of scientists featured: Tapputi-Belatekallim, Archimedes, Kamal al-Din al-Farisi, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Caroline Herschel, James Jay, Charles Darwin, Mary Anning, Nikola Tesla, S.P.L Søresnen, Ynés Mexia, Albert Einstein, Alexander Fleming, Alice Ball, Dorothy Hodgkin, Rosalind Franklin, Marie Maynard Daly, Eugene Merle Shoemaker, Jane Goodall, Katia Krafft, Christine Darden, Stephen Hawking, Mae Jemison and Ritu Karidhal.

Also available: This Book Will Make You an Artist

Ameila Earhart was:

A pilot
A record-breaker
An inspiration

Ameila Earhart broke flying records, wrote best-selling books, launched a fashion label and fought for the rights of female pilots everywhere.

Her disappearance, in the midst of her attempt to circumnavigate the globe, is one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries, and today she is remembered as not only the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean, but for being a bold, brace and adventurous woman who fought tirelessly for what she believed.

Have you ever wondered why frogs are green? Or if the sun is really yellow? Or maybe why the sea is blue? Well, this colourful science compendium suitable for KS2 may hold the answers!

Written by author and astronomer, Dr Sheila Kanani, this fascinating book starts by explaining what colour is and how we see it, before taking us on a journey of big colour questions. Each section is based on a colour of the rainbow (plus some added extras ‘beyond the rainbow’ such as black, white and fluorescent colours) and, after an introduction to that colour, asks five colour-based questions. Red, for example, explores why blood is red, why Mars is known as the red planet, why flamingos are pink, why some monkeys have red bottoms and why hippo’s sweat is red.

Each question is explained clearly, with lots of added information and ‘did you know’ sections to keep the reader engaged. This all leads to the big question of the book: Can you Get Rainbows in Space? As well as being a captivating read, it is the design, layout and illustrations that will get children picking up the book and delving in.

Unsurprisingly, in a book about colour, every spread is full of glorious images that celebrate each colour in turn. A feast for the eyes as well as the mind, I would highly recommend this engaging text for bookshelves in every school library.

How To be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs is a very well laid out introduction to space exploration and the jobs associated with it. It begins with a short introduction to space and why it’s worth exploring before giving an in-depth look at what it’s like to be an astronaut, including such interesting questions as what kind of training you need to do, what it feels like to be weightless and what happens to your body when you return to earth. It also covers a wide range of behind-the-scenes roles I’d never considered before such as astrobiologists, space doctors and even space chefs!

The amount and detail of the text is perfectly judged for KS1/LKS2 – blocks of text are never more than a few sentences with key words highlighted in bold. Sol Linero deserves a special mention for the excellent clear and attractive illustrations which are as important as the words.

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