Who Is a Scientist? is not a boring text book. Author, Laura Gehl, has put together a book for your children (and even for you!) that is filled with some pretty interesting people. All scientists, of course, but Gehl includes personal blurbs on each scientist. She even introduced - at least to me - types of scientists I didn’t even know existed!
“Who is a scientist? This is a scientist.
BOB is a neurobiologist.”
Each page spread greets you with this same pattern of text. It asks the question, answers, and then introduces you to a new scientist.
There are men and women scientists. There are scientists of every ethnicity. There are scientists who do so many different things!
That’s where the personal side comes in - along with the same greeting of each page spread there is also the introductory picture and it’s not of the scientist in their lab coat. The photo portrays the professional doing what they love - dancing, surfing, cooking, kayaking.
This was definitely a different type of picture book than I’m used to when it comes to reviewing as it’s not the text or a character that pushes the story forward. There isn’t really a story; however, you could say the story is that we have scientists of every “shape and size” in so many different fields who all love so many other things other than just their job. It was fun to learn the expertise of each field and what their knowledge does for us, for our world.
It’s also not a book that attempts to include every scientist known to mankind. Just 14 so it’s a doable read aloud book before bedtime. The information you will receive though can go on for days! Looking up on Google or checking out books to dig deeper into each field, maybe your family may want to try one of their hobbies, and Gehl even has a teaching guide to go with the book!