How many times have you had to clean out a child's pockets before doing the laundry - or realized after the fact that you had forgotten to check the pockets? Just keep in mind that the tidbits in those pockets could be the start of an amazing career in science. Children are naturally curious about the world around them and all of that collecting and investigating develops some useful skills.
Heather L. Montgomery has written a book that showcases those skills and links them to incidents from the childhoods of famous scientists. Seedpods in the pocket of George Washington Carver. Earthworms under Jane Goodall's pillow. Albums of leaves under Meg Lowman's bed. These things probably drove their parents crazy. But, looking back at those moments from our perspective, we can see the foreshadowing of their life's work.
This book is a confirmation of children's curiosity and an introduction to scientists from a variety of backgrounds in a wide range of occupations. Back matter includes more detailed biographical information about each of the individuals and their work. There are also notes from the illustrator and author, as well as suggested field guides and books for curious young explorers. Perfect as a read-aloud or for individual enjoyment - this book belongs in school libraries and classrooms.
48 pages 978-1623541224 Ages 4-8
Keywords: scientists, outdoors, nature, collections, biography, information, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, Science Curriculum
Recommended by: Suzanne Costner, Librarian, Tennessee USA
See more of her recommendations: https://fveslibrary.blogspot.com/
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Charles Darwin, George Washington Carver, and Jane Goodall were once curious kids with pockets full of treasures!
When you find something strange and wonderful, do you put it in your pocket? Meet nine scientists who, as kids, explored the great outdoors and collected "treasures": seedpods, fossils, worms, and more. Observing, sorting, and classifying their finds taught these kids scientific skills--and sometimes led to groundbreaking discoveries. Author Heather Montgomery has all the science flair of a new Bill Nye. Book includes the Heather's tips for responsible collecting.---from the publisher
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Read Suzanne Costner's interview with Heather L. Montgomery:
AUTHOR Q&A
- How did you decide which behaviors to include - collecting, categorizing, detecting patterns, etc.?
This book began when several different editors asked me if I might write a picture book biography of a scientist. I went trolling around in biographical information about scientists who I admired and found I was often intrigued by one moment from their childhood --a moment they did something "improper" -- a moment I saw as science-skill-growth. So I began collecting anecdotes and noticed a pattern. That's when I thought "Hmm, maybe there is a story here."
- Did you write about the behaviors and then choose scientists that used those skills, or choose the scientists and then the behaviors?
Just like the scientists, I first collected stories of young scientists, second sorted their behaviors into categories, and third made my own discovery. The discovery? In the early drafts I simply listed the scientists in an order that made sense to me. It took a few astute comments from my editor for me to realize that I had sequenced them based on those three categories. We added the cumulative refrain to bring that concept to the front of the reader's mind as well.
- How did you narrow down which scientists to feature?
Leaving some folks out is always the hard part for me! But picture books have limited pages, and I wanted to ensure that children from a variety of backgrounds could see themselves as young scientists, so that helped me with the selection process.
- Was it exciting to make contact with the current scientists like Diego Meg, and Bonnie?
I LOVE doing research and getting to speak with scientists is inspiring! To hear Meg talk about using a sling shot to climb to the tree tops, to catch Bonnie's energy for sea creatures, to have Diego "walk" me through his childhood explorations -- that's what keeps me writing!
- Did they tell you anything that surprised you?
Diego Cisneros Heredia has discovered 30 new species. Thanks to him the world now knows about 30 more frogs, snakes, and even a velvet worm. One other endearing detail: he sent me photos of childhood nature books that inspired him.
- Anything else you would like to share? (something like your favorite collection or object from your own explorations or some other personal tidbit of interest)
My collections superlatives:
Oldest: Leaf
Most organized: Moss
Stinkiest: Roadkill
A very big thank-you to Heather for answering my questions about her writing process for this book!
