What Will I Discover?

March 1, 2023
Scientists know a lot, but there is still so much more in the universe for a child to wonder about and learn. A curious, round-eyed, brown-skinned child muses on the wealth of surprising discoveries scientists have made, citing fascinating examples such as sea stars' tube feet, macaws' tongue-bones, and emperor penguins' highly social behavior. Looking closely at fossils, remotely into space, and microscopically at nerve cells' communication, scientists know so much about this and distant worlds! But then the narrator, with notepad and magnifying glass, thinks of questions not yet answered: the why of humpback whales' varied songs, the how of tree-root communication, the mystery of dinosaur languages and games--and, the biggest question of all, the titular one. Short, simple sentences are presented in a legible sans-serif font. The entrancing, clear-edged but lineless, warm, uncluttered illustrations include jungle and desert scenes, seascapes, animals, planets, dinosaurs, and neurons and will reach readers whether in laps or classrooms. A final page asks readers to search back through the pages for 10 tiny images and, like the entire book, enthusiastically endorses "investigating, inventing, or creating" as essential qualities for scientists. The adult scientists depicted are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Celebrating intellectual curiosity, this book invites young readers to quest for answers. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-7)

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April 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 3 A curious child ponders the mysteries of the universe in this nonfiction picture book. Simply stated sentences list many awe-inspiring scientific theories and discoveries, from how otters prevent themselves from floating away in the sea while they sleep to how human brain cells communicate with one another. Brimming with enthusiasm and wonder, the wide-eyed narrator posits mind-expanding--and currently unanswered--queries of her own: "Why does every humpback whale sing a different song?" "Do different kinds of trees speak different leafy languages?" Qiuqi's warm-hued and soft-edged illustrations capture the young scientist actively participating in scientific processes: observing a glass frog from behind the cover of a tropical tree; using a magnifying glass to take a closer look at a procession of insects; recording notes while imagining dinosaurs roaming the Earth. Back matter includes a search-and-find game and an empowering message ("If you like investigating, inventing, or creating, you might become a scientist one day"). Science begins with questions, and this thought-provoking STEAM title offers an invitation to dream and discover.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2023

PreS-Gr 1-This concept book about scientific inquiry falls short. The musing, daydream quality of the first half never quite comes together with the second half. A very young fair-skinned child states 10 science-based facts about the physical world, covering animals, climate, plants, prehistory, and space. In the second half of the book, this same child posits their own questions they believe no one has yet to answer. The questions mirror the general categories of the first half. The story ends with the child falling asleep declaring their nightly question: "What will I discover?" Very young scientists might find the book's questions compelling. Other children may not be so intrigued about such topics as "How do trees learn to talk to one another?" The illustrations complement the gentle text with rich colors and details. The child appears as an observer in many of them. The book ends with a challenge to find 10 pictures throughout the pages with little connection to scientific inquiry. STEAM is briefly explained with a final call for curious children to help answer more scientific questions. VERDICT A narrow audience might enjoy this call to scientific curiosity.-Elisabeth LeBris

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