Who is a Scientist? By Laura Gehl will be published on October 5, 2021 by Lerner Publishing Group. The book is a second grade reading level (740 Lexile) and is recommended by the publisher for preschool to third graders. This book shares about the range of scientists and that the reader meets fourteen scientists to find out about their work and what they enjoy doing outside of their work. The first page of each scientist shows them doing something they enjoy (I.e. painting, dancing) while stating their name and what they’re a scientist of underneath. The second page of each This book shares about the range of scientists and that the reader meets fourteen scientists to find out about their work and what they enjoy doing outside of their work. The first page of each scientist shows them doing something they enjoy (I.e. painting, dancing) while stating their name and what they’re a scientist of underneath. The second page of each scientist shows them in their science or lab element and has information on them as a person and a professional. The end of the book features an encouragement that the reader may be a scientist, a QR code to meet the scientists, and a flow chart to help kids think about what type of scientist they may want to be. The QR code leads to a page with a video that is not currently available; this may be due to my reading it before the publication date.
I think the organization efficiently introduces the reader to fourteen scientists. I really enjoy that the page that says they are a scientist has them doing an activity that seems to be completely separate from science and their work and saying a little bit about their personal lives on the second page. I think it helps humanizes those professions and people. The explanations and information are at an approachable and accessible level to young students. Teachers and librarians may be interested in supplementary materials on the authors website that can be found here. There is a book trailer video of all of the scientists briefly introducing the type of scientist they are and stating, “I am a scientist.” A teacher’s guide is also linked from the page and focuses on “Questions for class discussion, writing, and research” with ten questions total. I know that some of my science colleagues sometimes have a tough time finding diverse or modern representation. I think this text is a valuable contribution to that need, making this book a recommended purchase to any public library, elementary school library, and some secondary science classrooms as well. Representation matters, because then we can see ourselves doing that career and children can see themselves doing it. One of my colleagues printed out and hung posters from I Am a Scientist as a response to a need for representation. Another colleague of mine had students create their own posters about them being a scientist and choosing what type of scientist they were with a brief explanation. An educator I know from Twitter, Ramesh Laungani, is of the founder of the 1000 Women in STEM project. The project has a website and a collection of ninety second Flipgrid videos that feature women working in STEM fields.
5 Comments
Abi Avery
9/16/2021 06:08:28 pm
I completely agree that this book seems incredibly valuable because of the diverse group of scientists it portrays. I might have to find a copy myself to check it out in more depth! I kind of wish you had included photos of the page spread so we could see what you're describing regarding the layout, but this is a great post overall!
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JoyAnn
9/18/2021 07:37:47 pm
Hi Abi, I'm glad you think it looks valuable. I couldn't include many pictures and many haven't been released yet since I had read an Advanced Reader's Copy. But the title will release soon in October.
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Abi Avery
10/2/2021 06:54:56 pm
Oh, that makes sense! With it coming out soon, I may have to add it to my own library’s purchase list! Like I said, it sounds great.
Kate Blakely
9/20/2021 06:27:58 pm
I just added this book to my next Baker & Taylor order, thanks for the recommendation. It is so, so important for there to be representation and diversity, it can definitely be hard to find, especially in science books. Our shelves are filled with white, male scientist biographies so this will definitely be a welcome addition.
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Whitley Abell
9/21/2021 10:33:57 am
Thank you so much for sharing this book! I immediately suggested it for purchase after reading your review. I totally agree that this book is important to include -- so much of our shelf space on scientists is filled by cis white men!
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