Famous Scientists

This book by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is one of the books in the best-selling series, Little People, BIG DREAMS. These books explore the lives of people who achieved great things, but focus on when they started out as children with a dream.

Mae Jemison became a scientist and the first black woman to be admitted to the astronaut programme at NASA, later becoming the first African-American female astronaut in space. As a child, Mae dreamed of going in a real space rocket and the story shows how she pursued her dreams and overcame obstacles to reach for the stars.

Young children love stories about explorers and space, and this book based on an inspirational true life story has both.

On a Beam of Light celebrates curiosity and the powerful mind of a quiet little boy called Albert. Albert watched the world in silence – speaking at all as a young child. Then one day he is given a magnetic compass, and it sparks a lifetime of exploration.

This book is a glorious introduction to Einstein’s ideas about atoms and motion, and space and time. We learn too about Einstein’s creativity and sense of fun: his habit of playing the violin while wrestling with tricky ideas, his love of cycling and of walking barefoot through town, eating ice cream. The artwork seems to echo Einstein’s thoughts and calculations, and captures his sense of wonder about the universe. Possibly my favourite illustrated non-fiction book in the world!

Art, biology, mathematics, physics, music and engineering – Leonardo Da Vinci was talented in these areas and many more and this is what Jake Williams explores in his beautifully illustrated and informative biography: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Life of Invention.

The life and work of this extraordinary polymath is carefully divided into sections on his background, his studies on the natural world, his inventions and works of art before looking at his legacy and relevance to our lives today. His timeline is plotted against maps of his travels: Vinci to Florence; Florence to Milan; Milan to France, which guide us through his life and most famous works.

Each section of the book is divided into double-page spreads which describes each of his most well-known ideas in easy-to-understand and relatable language for children. The ‘Inventions’ for example, includes pages on his designs for armoured cars, parachutes, crossbows, bats, helicopters, robot knights, diving suits and several more! Each topic is presented slightly different and includes both information and interesting facts to keep readers hooked in. On some occasions, Williams lets the pictures do the talking which makes the book enjoyable to dip in and out of whenever occasion suits.

The illustrations are stunning and you may recognise the distinctive vector designs and bold colour choices from some of his other titles such as ‘Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery’ and ‘Really Remarkable Reptiles.’

A highly informative and engaging text, which I would recommend for those interested in Da Vinci, art, inventions, design technology and history.

A beautifully presented picture about Anna Atkins, who is acknowledged to be one of the first women in the world to take a photograph, and one of the first people to publish a book of photographic images.

After being given a camera in 1841, Anna was excited by this new process, but it was her introduction to Herschel’s discovery of cyanotype printing that sparked a passion for cyanography; the process of using chemicals that react to sunlight to dye paper and print images. In the book, the author’s own drawings and cyanotypes are combined with reproductions of Anna Atkins’ original work.

The Fossil Hunter by Kate Winter is a gem of a book. It is a splendid addition for any child learning about Mary Anning, fossils, dinosaurs and what life was like for a working-class woman 200 years ago. The book is hardback, large and begins with a timeline of Mary Anning’s life with page numbers corresponding to different eras.

This eye-catching book is full of facts and perfect to dip into or read altogether. Topics are highlighted, such as the challenge of being a Victorian woman, where recognition for scientific discovery did not happen and the unfairness of this, and why her story is important. Every page has watercolour illustrations which can spread across whole pages, and there are beautiful panoramic fold-out pages where you find out more facts about fossils, dinosaurs or a look into Mary’s cabinet.

This great book to share with children (or any age!) about the inspirational Mary Anning is highly recommended.

It is rare to find a book which gives a completely different and exciting perspective on a historical figure, particularly those aimed at younger readers, so ‘Darwin’s Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular’ is a particularly delightful read.

As the title suggests, the book tells the story of Darwin’s investigations into the humble earthworm. It is clear that the author, Polly Owen, has discovered her passion for this topic as it is written with such an enthusiastic tone; by the end of page one, the reader is already convinced that earthworms are completely awesome!

The book recounts the range of experiments that Darwin is believed to have tried to uncover the mysteries of earthworm senses, from hearing, sight and taste. It is written in a very accessible style, with lots of humour. There is a worm on each double-page spread which gives a little more context and brings the reader back to the historical facts within the story. These small speech bubbles also direct the reader to some of the scientific vocabulary, useful to gather if using the book as a stimulus for writing projects or science discussions.

If you are looking to add a book that is charming, insightful and has more than a few poo-based jokes, then this would be a perfect choice! Key Stage Two children will enjoy the book as much as their Key Stage One peers.