Scientists who changed the world series by Anita Croy

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EK Books, 2020. 64pp., hbk.
Charles Darwin ISBN: 9781925820706.
Rachel Carson ISBN: 9781925820690.
Sir Isaac Newton ISBN: 9781925820713.
It could be said that never before in the lives of our young students, has science been at the forefront as it is at the moment. Every night on the news and in other programs they have access to, science is featured along with the obligatory white-coated scientist as there are reports of progress in the race to a vaccine and treatment for Covid-19, the disease keeping them trapped inside. The importance of research, testing, trials and all the other vocabulary associated with the discipline is becoming a natural part of their vocabulary and there would be more than one little one who now has aspirations of finding that one thing that will save mankind.
So this new series about the scientists on whose shoulders today's generation stands is timely, Apart from anything else, it demonstrates there are almost as many fields of science as there are people investigating and so if immunology and epidemiology don't appeal, then there are endless other facets that might. The first three in the series introduce us to a physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, a marine biologist, Rachel Carson and an anthropologist, Charles Darwin, all of whom changed the world's thinking with their discoveries. Teacher's notes are available from the publisher's website.
Using accessible text, colour illustrations and an appealing layout, young readers are introduced to each including not just their discoveries but also their early life that influenced the paths they took. With at least three more in the series planned (Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei and Stephen Hawking) this is a series that will be a most useful addition to the library's collection because of its modern presentation and timely release as children return to the classroom with big dreams of adding their names to the list of world-changers.
Barbara Braxton

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