Modern science books for children almost invariably
are full of pictures, captions, insets, charts, tables
and facts, but appear to be intended to be browsed
rather than read. In our grandparents' age, however, it
was thought that simply reading a fascinating
explanation of what causes an earthquake, how an icicle
forms, or how a rose blooms would be of great interest
to children, and the genre of narrative science, was a
popular one. The Baldwin Project currently offers three
of the most popular narrative science books of
yesteryear. While each of these books has wonderful
illustrations, the main attraction is their excellent
description of a wide variety of scientific
phenomena, all directed at grammar school and junior
high school age children.
Arabella Buckley's The Fairy-Land of Science explains such topics as light, the water cycle, and the nature of gases, by describing "sunbeams," a "drop of water on its travels", and "the aerial ocean in which we live." Other topics presented are the great sculptors—water and ice, the way sound works, the life cycle of plants, bees, and the formation of fossil fuels. (234 pages, ages 10-13)
The Story Book of Science, by Jean Henri Fabre, relates
the story of three children who ask their Uncle Paul to
tell them "true stories." A keen observer of
nature, Uncle Paul tells them fascinating stories of the
world around them. Starting with observations of
an insect colony, he explains many of the phenomena of
science and nature including trees, various farm
animals and plants, paper and printing, the making of
silk, storms, the ocean, day and night, mushrooms,
pearls, electricity, and more. He guides them in
designing experiments and developing measuring tools, and teaches them to make
observations themselves. (432 pages, ages 9-12)
In Madam How and Lady Why Charles Kingsley
encourages children to read the landscape. Through a journey in his native England he covers such
topics in detail as earthquakes and volcanoes, the
creation of soil and sand from rocks and minerals, the
ice age, and the coral reef. He also discusses the
mysteries of prehistoric life, and explains, in general,
such scientific concepts as analysis, synthesis, theory,
and experimentation. (295 pages, ages 10-14)
All three of these wonderful books are available for purchase in quality paperback editions from Yesterday's Classics.