Super Scientists; 40 Inspiring Icons
Book Details
Super Scientists; 40 Inspiring Icons
Anne Blanchard, illus. Tino. London: Wide Eyed Editions, hb, 978 1 78603 473 1, 2019, £9.99, 91 pp.
Non-fiction, 9+ years
This is one of a series of books, all in the same format, looking at 40 icons, the others include Black Music Greats, Music Legends, Fantastic Footballers, People of Peace, Greek Gods and Heroes.
The series was originally published by the French publisher Gallimard Jeunesse. This one is illustrated by Tino, a French graphic designer, in a light-hearted very flat graphic style. Each icon is recognisable and has a face disproportionally larger than the rest of the body.
Complicated as it is to make any kind of selection, a good range of key figures from history and from around the world are included here. There are a few notable women and a comment that many women were precluded from work in laboratories until the 20th century.
Each scientist has a double-page spread with key biographical details, one image, facts about their major discovery and its use and influences, and then examples of their actual discovery. Inevitably this is a limited amount of information but it delivers key facts well and clearly. Each scientist is given a name reflecting their work, so Alhazen is the ‘luminary’, for example.
It is an enjoyable read and one that will introduce some less well-known figures, as well as the very famous, and will inspire young readers to further research, It has an attractive illustrated contents page and a brief chronology at the end.
Review by Pam Dix