As alluded to earlier, I'm attending a Children's Book Workshop this week. So to stay in theme (hence also the post about the Von Trapp Children), I thought I would try to provide a children's book review for each of the days in this week. Not going to be easy though, since my intent is to choose books with a science angle, subtle though that may be.
And I say this is going to be difficult (and subtle), because I'm purposely not going to pick books that are driven primarily by the presentation of facts (of which there are many many excellent examples out there). Instead, I'm going to try and present books that look at science differently, perhaps with underlying tones and philosophies that are important from the scientific context.
My credentials? I don't have any, except that I have two young children (Hannah: almost 5, and Ben: 2 and a half) who are read to constantly, and my wife, who teaches Grade One,is a bonafide lunatic with purchasing children's books. I swear, we must own close to 2000 titles (mostly picture books), half of which are currently at home, the other half in her classroom, the two populations forever interchanging, and expanding.
It's great though, because sometimes there are gems of children's books that move me as much as that Pulitzer Prize winning author, that create that same buzz you feel (or I feel) when a song for instance is just so.
Anyway, I'll try and pick out some of those books this week, so stay tuned.
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What an admirable goal! And you're right, certainly not easy. I've worked in bookstores in the past and am currently with a nonprofit literacy organization for kids, so I know a small something on the topic.
In any case, I'd like to recommend "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pulman. It's geared to kids approaching their teens but has had me pulling old physics books off my shelves already, and even the dictionary a few times! Soporific? Fantastic!
The "Golden Compass" came up a lot at the workshop I attended. I'm going to have to check that one out.