Encouraging and unusually broad in historical scope.
An inclusive gallery of historical scientists and inventors paired to projects or experiments related to their achievements offers inspiration to budding STEM-winders.
Decisively countering the notion that science is the exclusive domain of white men, more than half of Kanani’s 25 selected figures are women and more than half of them are people of color. Arranging her short profiles in chronological order, she begins in ancient Mesopotamia with perfume maker Tapputi-Belatekallim, the first named chemist, and ends with Indian aerospace engineer Ritu Karidhal, who helped design a probe her country sent to Mars. Still, most of the names here, from Archimedes to Mary Anning and Jane Goodall, are or should be widely familiar, and her pithy summaries of their significant achievements or discoveries offer sturdy rationales for their appearances on any roster of science greats. Each entry also includes directions for a relevant activity, and though some seem perfunctory—stepping outside at night to look for meteor showers in honor of astronomer Caroline Herschel, for instance—most do offer at least elementary challenges and sometimes surprising results, for all that they employ common household materials. Surrey alternates portraits of serious-looking scientists posing in historical dress or laboratory settings with views of racially diverse groups of modern young researchers busily at work together or alone. In an introductory pep talk the author invites young readers to prepare to do science by sharpening their senses of curiosity and, realistically, expecting failures on the road to success. Savvy advice, no matter the field of enquiry.
Encouraging and unusually broad in historical scope. (glossary) (Collective biography. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9798887772295
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
In this glossy photo essay, the author briefly recounts the study and exploration of the moon, beginning with Stonehenge and concluding with the 1998–99 unmanned probe, Lunar Prospector. Most of the dramatic photographs come from NASA and will introduce a new generation of space enthusiasts to the past missions of Project Mercury, Gemini, and most especially the moon missions, Apollo 1–17. There are plenty of photographs of various astronauts in space capsules, space suits, and walking on the moon. Sometimes photographs are superimposed one on another, making it difficult to read. For example, one photograph shows the command module Columbia as photographed from the lunar module and an insert shows the 15-layer space suit and gear Neil Armstrong would wear for moonwalking. That’s a lot to process on one page. Still, the awesome images of footprints on the moon, raising the American flag, and earthrise from the moon, cannot help but raise shivers. The author concludes with a timeline of exploration, Web sites, recommended books, and picture credits. For NASA memorabilia collectors, end papers show the Apollo space badges for missions 11–17. Useful for replacing aging space titles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-57091-408-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
Thousands of years ago, the Komodo dragon may have inspired dragon legends in China and beyond. In more recent times, researchers from all over the world have traveled to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia to study the Komodo dragon. This lively if somewhat haphazardly organized account focuses on the efforts of contemporary researchers, presents some of their cooler findings (female dragons can reproduce through parthenogenesis; their saliva is laced with deadly bacteria) and profiles a few captive specimens. Mostly color photographs from a variety of sources adorn almost every page, and captions add to the information. Learning about the Komodo dragon is not for the faint of heart, and the photos show the wild beasts in all their gory glory. The extensive backmatter includes brief facts about Indonesia, more information on the Komodo dragon life cycle and its use of smell and conservation information. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Komodo Survival Program. (bibliography, further reading, glossary, websites, index, author’s note) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-757-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
