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Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth

Many promising new sci-tech series, such as Vicki Cobb’s Science Play [BKL Ag 02], have popped up this year, a number of which are highlighted in our Spotlight on Series Nonfiction in the October 1 issue. The list below turns the spotlight away from series to identify 10 single-title volumes that children can use in class as well as enjoy reading on their own. You’ll find them reviewed in Booklist issues from December 1, 2001, through November 15, 2002. —Stephanie Zvirin

Guiberson, Brenda Z. The Emperor Lays an Egg. Illus. by Joan Paley. 2001. Holt, $16.95 (0-8050-6204-1).
K–Gr. 2. The painted and cut-paper artwork is exceptionally nice in this quietly handsome book that introduces the life cycle of the emperor penguin by following a penguin family through a year.

Karas, G. Brian. Atlantic. 2002. illus. Putnam, $15.99 (0-399-23632-5).
PreS–Gr. 2. This may be classified as fiction (the Atlantic Ocean is the narrator), but it works like fact to give young children a sure sense of the scope of the Atlantic Ocean; its link to the sun, moon, and other oceans; and how scientists, fishermen, and even poets relate to it. The soothing blues and greens of the art bring the feel of the watery wildness right indoors.

Marrin, Albert. Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Search for the Smallpox Vaccine. 2002. illus.. Dutton, $17.99 (0-525-46922-2).
Gr. 4–8. Marrin combines social history and science in an ambitious, intriguing, and also eerily timely book about a disease and the man who helped bring about its eradication.

O’Connor, Jane. The Emperor’s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China. 2002. illus. Viking, $17.99 (0-670-03152-2).
Gr. 4–7. Science, history, and art dovetail beautifully in this fascinating, well-illustrated book that introduces readers to a newly unearthed wonder of the ancient world: an army of 1,000-year-old terra-cotta soldiers, built by the wicked first emperor of China to guard his tomb.

Rau, Dana Meachen. A Star in My Orange: Looking for Nature’s Shapes. 2002. Millbrook, lib. ed., $22.90 (0-7613-2414-3).
PreS–Gr. 2. Rau goes beyond basic geometric shapes to introduce children to more sophisticated forms in nature, from star shapes in snowflakes to the spirals of a ram’s horn. A book that will encourage children to look more closely at their world, think about it, and admire the beauty and symmetry of its design.

St. George, Judith. So You Want to Be an Inventor? Illus. by David Small. 2002. Putnam/Philomel, $16.99 (0-399-23593-0).
Gr. 3–5. The dreamers, doers, and stubborn individualists responsible for inventions ranging from the weird (a coffin with an escape hatch) to the wonderful get due credit in this expertly crafted combination of energetic artwork and brief, informative text.

Sandler, Martin W. Photography: An Illustrated History. 2002. illus. Oxford. $29.95 (0-19-512608-4).
Gr. 6–12. Sandler’s terrific photography compendium, an update from his now out-of-print Story of American Photography, introduces history and practice, using exciting images, both archival and contemporary, to bring the technology to life.

Singh, Simon. The Code Book: How to Make It, Break It, Hack It, Crack It. 2002. illus. Random, $16.95 (0-385-72913-8); lib. ed., $18.99 (0-385-90032-5).
Gr. 7–12. Adult books reworked for a younger readership often don’t work. That’s not the case here; Singh once again makes the subject fun as well as fascinating, whether he’s talking about codes in ancient Egypt or computer encryption.

Swanson, Diane. Nibbling on Einstein’s Brain. 2001. Illus. by Warren Clark. Firefly, $24.95 (1-55037-686-1).
Gr. 5–8. Is there such a thing as “bad” science? You bet, as Swanson energetically demonstrates in her evaluations of poorly designed experiments, irresponsible claims, faulty logic, and much more. An intriguing, sometimes shocking book that will help kids better evaluate science reporting and media hype.

Walker, Sally M. Fossil Fish Found Alive: Discovering the Coelacanth. 2002. illus. Carolrhoda., $17.95 (1-57505-536-8).
Gr. 5–8. Walker brings science up close in this factual “fish story.” Imagine the surprise, when, in 1938, a fisherman’s catch yielded an unusual prize: an ancient fish previously thought to be extinct.

(Booklist/December 1, 2002)