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Waaaay back in 2020 I enjoyed reading Kate Messner's The Next President, but I didn't see an audience for it. Jump forwards to 2024, and Messner has written a similar title this time featuring scientists - and I definitely DO see an audience for this one!
Kuo has illustrated other nonfiction titles and her clean, sharp lines and strong colors are the perfect fit for Messner's crisp, poetic text. Together they present a musing on the past, present, and future of science. They have a much wider field for choosing diverse subjects and they use it fully, featuring trios and quartets of people who have made great strides in scientific thought, inventions, and more. Messner puts together characters that don't seem to have anything in common; Isaac Newton, Lonnie Johnson, and Valerie Thomas start the story. Then she skillfully shows how all three of them were interested in making and tinkering as children and how that led to their future careers and discoveries. Some well-known names are included, but the book mostly focuses on lesser-known people, especially women and people of color, in the scientific world showing how everyday interests and traits as children led to their future success.
The final section shows a a large number of child scientists reading books in the library and is followed by pages imagining where current children will take us in the future, exploring, learning, building, and creating a better world. Back matter includes detailed information on the scientists profiled in the library spread, further reading about the various scientists, sources, and, on the final page, a list of some scientists' favorite reading materials from Isaac Newton (The Mysteryes of Nature and Art by John Bate) to Sally Ride (Nancy Drew).
Verdict: An inspiring and informative book, perfect for sparking young readers' interest about science and history. Recommended.
Published August 2024 by Chronicle
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