Turn it Loose: The Scientist in Absolutely Everybody - Hardcover

Swanson, Diane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1550378511 ISBN 13: 9781550378511

Publisher: Annick Press, 2004

Synopsis

Discovering your inner scientist.

Every person is a combination of unique interests, knowledge, talents and skills. And inside every one of us is a scientist.

It's true -- there's a scientist in absolutely everybody. Not always a trained, professional one, of course, but a natural, inborn scientist. Think about Beatrix Potter, who, as a child, followed up her natural curiosity by boiling the flesh off dead animals so she could see how their skeletons were constructed. When Charles Darwin was young, he collected anything that caught his eye -- shells, rocks, and bugs. Trumpeter Louis Armstrong was a street kid who was captivated by the rhythm of music.

When you think about it, wondering, imagining and questioning are some of the behaviors we practice every day. From a very young age we reason, explore and come to understand the world around us, using the same tools scientists employ in their pursuit of new discoveries.

This fun, upbeat book shows that scientific thinking is natural, exciting and relevant for everyone. It encourages young readers to spot the scientist within, and suggests how to turn it loose. Lively profiles of artists, athletes, inventors and scientists show how individuals achieved important improvements through scientific actions.

At the end of each chapter, there is a section called Brainplay where readers will find exciting, creative ways to keep their inborn scientist strong and fit.

About this title

About the Author

Diane Swanson definitely has a scientist within: in more than 60 factual books for kids she has explored everything from stomachs to tsunami to science itself. Her recent book Nibbling on Einstein's Brain: The Good, the Bad and the Bogus in Science was named to VOYA's (Voice of Youth Advocates) Annual Nonfiction Honor List in 2001.

Warren Clark has worked as a graphic designer in South Africa, England, and Canada.

Reviews

Grade 4-7–Swanson takes an enthusiastic look at science, encouraging readers to apply their natural curiosity to everything around them. After a spirited introduction explaining that we all have an "inner scientist" that we should exercise, she offers two dozen chapters to support the idea. Each one features a brief profile of a significant person, ranging from famous scientists to lesser-known inventors. Non-science figures (e.g., Dr. Seuss and Wayne Gretzky) who demonstrated qualities that scientists share are also included. Last names are withheld until the end, so some readers will be surprised when "Charley" the young insect collector turns out to be Charles Darwin. The second half of each chapter explains how the person's story relates to the scientific process, and how readers can apply the lessons to their own lives. "Brainplay" offers specific activities to build on the chapter theme, usually including suggestions for simple experiments and observations. Pertinent, thought-provoking quotes are inset periodically. The full-page color drawings in each chapter are unexceptional, with sometimes cloying facial expressions, but they do show each figure in action as a child. Swanson's zest for science in all its diverse forms comes through on every page. She deftly jumps from subject to subject, keeping each chapter lively and engaging and citing countless examples to reinforce the idea that everyone is a scientist.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 4-6. Swanson, a seasoned science writer for children whose Nibbling on Einstein's Brain (2001) was widely acclaimed, believes that we're all natural scientists. Like any talent, though, our scientific instincts require honing: "The 'use it or lose it' slogan applies as much to your inner scientist as it does to the muscles in your body." To keep that inner scientist in peak condition, Swanson suggests 23 "scientific actions," ranging from the breathlessly abstract ("Let your mind overflow with wonder") to the more concrete ("Collect whatever's neat"). The bulk of the book consists of brief profiles of noteworthy individuals, from Marie Curie to Dr. Seuss, each meant to illustrate the positive effects of one of the scientific actions. While the bite-sized biographies, brimming with intriguing childhood details, are very well done, the connection to science is sometimes too tenuous; Wayne Gretzky as an example of "persistence," for instance, seems like a stretch. Buy this for the sheer quantity of information and the excellent "Brainplay" activities concluding each chapter, not the peppy, pro-science theorizing. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Annick Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1550378511
• ISBN 13: 9781550378511
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Clark Warren
• Number of pages: 112