Lives of the Scientists - Non-Fiction

Lives of the Scientists – Experiments, Explosions (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull & Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. California: Harcourt Children’s Books, 2013.  

Book summary: Scientists are just as human as the rest of us. In this book, readers will explore mini-biographies about the real life of 20 famous scientists. In each chapter you will learn juicy details like: What were they like as kids? How did they become interested in their field of science? What unusual fact is known that makes the scientists stand out from the field?  

Awards: 2014 - Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12 – National Science Teachers Association

2014 – Notable Social Studies Tradebooks [sic] for Young People - National Council for the Social Studies

Audience: 8 – 12 years of age would appreciate this book. The 8 – 9 year-old may find some of the unusual facts a bit mature such as: “There were unproven rumors during his life that [George Washington] Carver was homosexual.” 10 – 12 year-old readers will be more comfortable with the mature content and are well equipped to handle the complexities of a person being both intelligent and flawed.

Strengths and Weaknesses: One of the book’s strengths is Krull’s writing style. Her tone is tongue-in-cheek, and she clearly enjoys finding the humanity in each scientist. Readers will enjoy her words and find each biography entertaining. To introduce readers to Galileo she opens by describing his appearance: “With his bushy red hair and full red beard, Galileo cut a dashing figure- never mind that his clothes were years out of fashion” (17). The contrast of handsome looks with out of date clothes would be a funny image for the reader. Another strength adding to the whimsy of the work is the illustrator’s paintings. Hewitt creates a painting of each scientist with notable images that relate to the scientist. For example, Rachel Carson is drawn holding a crab that is in turn holding up a sign that says No DDT (80). A weakness in the text that limits its potential audience are the many outrageous facts about the scientists. The mature facts include: homosexuality, infidelity, and incest. This can limit who might read the book. Some may even find the book offensive. Another weakness is the research behind the book is not cited. Having read a biography about Rachel Carson, I can confirm the information in this book was accurate, but cannot say the same for any of the other 19 scientists. There is a page of further reading suggestions though.

Creative Uses: Each scientist would make a good lesson for a classroom or an activity for a public library. I would read the biography and then have children perform a science experiment to confirm the scientist’s findings. This would work well with Isaac Newton and his laws of motion, but you could not test Marie Curie’s findings about radium. Instead, you could conduct an alternate experiment that can illustrate the idea. Try demonstrating radiation damage with a chicken bone and different liquids. Vinegar will permit you to bend the bone after a 3-day soak. This can help illustrate the idea that radiation exposure damages the body in many ways. You can also show pictures of survivors of radiation exposure (Bend a Bone). 

You can also encourage readers to become activists about a science concept they are passionate about. If the class or library is reading about Jane Goodall, you can have students make dog toys from leftover t-shirts (Instructables). These can be donated to a local shelter. Helping improve the world based on a scientific principle, that animals need protection, is a worthy lesson for children to learn.

Finally, have children research more about a favorite scientist from the book. They can share what they have learned in many ways: a presentation, an Alphabet book, a poster, a story, or a skit. Ideas are endless.

Read-Alikes: 

Who on Earth is Rachel Carson? Mother of the Environmental Movement by Glenn Scherer and Marty Fletcher – This biography is about Carson’s entire life from childhood until death and explores the significance and scope of her scientific research and findings. The book is unbiased and well researched. All sources are listed in the back under Chapter Notes. There is a glossary and an index making the book ideal for students that are researching the scientist. The authors include several excerpts of Carson’s published work in order for readers to have evidence of why Carson’s writings were so powerful and groundbreaking. With the inclusion of Carson’s writings the readability is more challenging. It also requires stamina in reading, so the book is ideal for older students 10 – 12 years. For readers of Lives of the Scientists this journey into the life of Rachel Carson will round out their knowledge and focus on the science that Carson was so passionate about. 

Backyard Biology: Investigate Habitats Outside Your Door by Donna Latham and Illustrated by Beth Hetland– For the budding scientist this book will help you get your science on. Inspired by Lives by the Scientist readers may feel the need to experiment and discover a bit of knowledge themselves. With advice on how to make your own backyard science toolkit and various projects to help illustrate science concepts readers are learning about in the chapters the book would be a good addition for any 9 – 21 year-old reader. The science is explained with clever illustrations created by Hetland. Latham uses “words to know” boxes to help define and explain vocabulary. There are several extra features in the text like “Traveling Trash” found in the chapter called “Protect Living Things.” In the feature, readers learn how an earthquake can generate trash that travels all the way across the Pacific Ocean (105). Activities can include making food to resemble a coral reef or making mushroom art (106 & 30).

Marie Curie by Claire Throp  –  For readers of Lives of the Scientists that want to know about the actual science of Marie Curie this book will fill that need. Throp explores Curie’s childhood, personal life, education, research, the discrimination she experienced as a female scientist, and her legacy. The pictures selected add to the book giving a face to the scientist and the locations mentioned in the text. Readers of 8 – 12 years will enjoy this book provided they can read books at a 1000 Lexile. The book has an index, glossary, and while there are no resources listed for the information the book does have suggested books, websites, and research topics for readers to learn more.

Works Cited

“Bend a Bone With Vinegar.” ScienceBob.com, 22 Feb. 2015, sciencebob.com/bend-a-bone-with-vinegar/.

Instructables. “Easy Upcycled Tshirt to Dog Toy.” Instructables.com, 22 Oct. 2017, www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Upcycled-Tshirt-to-Dog-Toy/.