I’ve made no secrets of my love of non-fiction titles for adults and children. Real life stories can often be even more remarkable than anything we can make up in our heads. Humans have a lot to answer for, but also the discoveries and breakthroughs we have made are truly incredible, and often the result of one, single, incredible human being, like you or I. How amazing for children to read about other people, just like them, doing amazing things. Science and Me, written by Ali Winter, illustrated by Mickael El Fathi and published by Lantana Publishing provides exactly this.

As an adult reading a children’s book, if I myself learn something, then it’s doing more than its job! Science and Me beautifully introduces children and their fellow grown ups to innovative scientists all over the globe, men and woman from all cultures and backgrounds making ground breaking discoveries and inspiring future generations.

Each spread in this fantastic book focuses on a different scientist, gives a little bit of background to their upbringing or culture or struggles, and then educates on the discoveries or involvements they had with science. It’s very nicely put together, carefully and simply written and with just the right amount of informaiton to enable anyone to understand what these amazing humans achieved.

Mikael’s illustrations are wonderful and bring life to the book. He plays around with texture and colour dynamics to add a real sense of fun, excitement and science to all the stories in this book.

Scientist Spotlight

In celebration of the blog tour, I’m spotlighting the incredible Marie Curie and her daughter Irene Joliot-Curie, two people who sadly lost their lives to their work in science. Marie Curie did not have a helpful start to her education, as growing up in Poland in the 19th Century meant she was unable to earn a degree at University. Instead she had to study secretly at a “floating university”.

“A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.“

Quote: Marie Curie

Marie was eventually able to go to Paris where she met her husband and discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium. Her and her daughter’s work with these radioactive elements sadly ended both their lives of radiation poisoning. Though their lives were cut short, the impact of their discoveries and work will live on forever, and their contributions to the war efforts and appreciation of women in science (Marie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the only woman to ever win a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields) will never be forgotten.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.“

Quote: Marie Curie

Top Five Facts

1. Marie, along with her husband, coined the term “radioactivity.”
2. During World War 1 Marie recognised the need for surgeon support treating wounded soldiers near to the front line, studied radiography, anatomy and mechanics to create mobile
3. Marie attempted to donate her gold Nobel Prize medals to the war efforts, but when this was refused she donated the prize money instead.
4. Marie’s work proved that the atom was not invisible.
5. When Marie’s husband was tragically killed crossing the road, Marie worked hard to continue their joint scientific work and set up laboratories in his honour.

I loved reading about this remarkable lady. I have always been quite aware of her and her work, but knew little about her background, her daughter and husband. The wonderful thing about books such as Science and Me is that they are a brilliant introduction to people who changed our world, and are a spring board to find out more. After reading this book I was sucked into an internet world of Marie and her daughter’s work and learnt so much more.

Science and Me is the start of the journey, the launchpad into exploration, inspiration and knowledge. It’s exciting, interesting and the perfect way to enthuse children about science, history and really show what human beings from all backgrounds, and therefore they, are capable of.

SCIENCE AND ME will be available in all good UK, USA & CAN bookshops now! OR, buy your copy from Lantana’s online shop and donate a book to children who need books the most with your purchase: www.lantanapublishing.com

Don’t forget to visit the other stops on this blog tour to find out about more incredible scientists.

Thank you to Lantana for sending me a copy of Science and Me for my honest thoughts, and thank you for reading this scientific Book Monster review.