Books for Young People - The Science/History of Fun Stuff
Author: Kyla Sterling
Nonfiction for small people can be a tricky game. On the one hand, you don’t want to go so far over their heads they get lost and annoyed. On the other hand, they don’t want to be patronized. Kids in the 7-11 year range are among the most curious people I know, and they’ve just hit the age where they know when they’re being talked down to. They need something that’s going to challenge them beyond “a dog has fur and a fish doesn’t.” They need something that’s going to hold their interest. They need something that’s going to make them want to learn more. They need…
Fun Stuff.
There are actually two series of “fun stuff” books – there’s History of Fun Stuff and Science of Fun Stuff, both by multiple authors. Both series fall under the larger umbrella of the “Ready to Read” books, for kids who are just beginning to read more independently. The books themselves run the gamut of “fun stuff,” discussing the history of just about everything I remember being enthusiastic about as a kid.
Honestly, I could spend all day gushing about these books. Here’s an example: Pulling Back the Curtain on Magic! It’s one of the science books. Probably just a quick few pages on how magic isn’t real, and stage magicians practice a lot. Nope! Get ready for an in-depth discussion of optical illusions and how magicians exploit the way your brain works. Learn about hypermobility (double-jointedness) and the way an escape artist like Harry Houdini could make his body do things other people couldn’t. Get instructions on how to properly palm a coin.
The Explosive Story of Fireworks! covers the entire history of things that go boom. It runs all over the place, from early use of gunpowder in religious ceremonies to the current chemistry of color mixing. Each book has a great “extra stuff” section in the back, but this one has an especially bang-up offering (pun intended). It offers more resources for the reader who’s now interested in making things explode, but it also has some really interesting tidbits for the kids whose attention might have been drawn to something else in the text. Among other things, it gives a mini biology lesson on bamboo and goes around the world to explore different countries’ independence festivals.
I can’t recommend these books enough. If you have small people of your own, definitely head over to your local library and check them out. If there are small people in your life, these might be a fun way to kick-start a weekend trip – there are books about baseball, pizza, and amusement parks, just for starters. Kids of all ages will learn something new, and I bet most adults will, too!
