Awesome Achievers in Science, non-fiction that will hook kids

For a person who is not in elementary school I hang out a lot in an elementary school library. We volunteer at the school most weeks and usually end up where the books are. I like to talk to the librarians, see what the kids are reading and see what the librarians need. Lately, most of the chatter has been that they want more non-fiction books that will engage kids. Awesome Achievers in Science is the second book in this series and does exactly that. The book profiles 12 people in science who make a difference our everyday life. The kicker is that each profile is short, entertaining and fun to read for third graders and up.

What adults might enjoy more that the fact that kids are reading true stories is that they that don’t contain one iota of a fart joke. We love a good fart joke. Being the dad to two boys, we can attest that the quality poop humor is intact in this generation. However, educationally speaking, I want them to broaden their horizons and discover real stories about people.

That’s the other thing about Awesome Achievers in Science. Older readers (see: mom, dad, teachers and librarians) will know the thing that each person that’s profiled is known for; however; it’s quite possible that they won’t know the person. Of the 12 people highlighted in the book I only knew three of them and one of them was due to the person’s ubiquitous last name of Heimlich.

Case in point is Dr. Hugh Herr. After a tragic mountain climbing accident he suffered frostbite and had to have both legs amputated. Doctors told him that he’d never go mountain climbing again. Alas, Dr. Herr is an engineer and biochemist who heads the Biomechatronics Group at MIT. They design bionic limbs using rubber, steel and wood to make what was once science-fiction a fact of life.

Each profile is short enough so that young readers can consume it and read another one if they want to. On average each person has two pages of text that cover why we should care about them and the amazing thing that they discovered. And just because there aren’t any fart jokes doesn’t mean that the book leaves the funny on the front door.

Author Alan Katz does an excellent job of creating blurbs to drive home how unique their contribution was, how kids can learn from it or laugh at it. The illustrations by Chris Judge go a long way to filling in the humor. There’s an illustration every third page or so that kids can see, just in case they don’t know, what the advancement looks like. The book’s design does a great job of segueing from the educational, but still fun text, to the blurbs and occasional chart.

Elementary school and middle school librarians, this book is for you. But it’s also for parents that want to expose their kids to some amazing people that helped make life better. They might be in the shadows, but their work and dedication played some part in making the future the way it is now.

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