For this week’s Word Wednesday I’m back on familiar ground with DK children’s non-fiction. The wholly excellent How to be an Engineer, written in conjunction with one of the UK’s preeminent math/science popularizers, Carol Vordemann. Vordeman has been a household name in the UK for several decades after appearing on the long-running game show, Countdown. She was in charge of solving the numbers round when the contestants failed to do so. Day after day Carol would solve complex mental arithmetic problems whilst the nation looked on in awe. If you were a geek in the 80s Britain, Carol Vorderman and Countdown were about as good as it got.
This mathematical wizardry was, of course, backed up with some serious credentials, and, since leaving Countdown, Carol has gone on to use her background in engineering to popularize science and math. Vordemann has a passion for extending STEAM learning having been something of a trailblazer herself. She was the first person from her town to go to Oxford or Cambridge. She is a fully trained pilot, flying a Diamond DA42 twin-engine airplane. She is also on the board of NASA’s Challenger Centers. There are few people better qualified to bring engineering to life.
It’s 144 pages of mechanical excitement, filled with clearly explained descriptions of engineering principles. The book is stuffed full of easy to build projects and experiments designed to inspire young minds. It is suitable for readers aged 8 upwards.
How to be an Engineer is broken down into 5 sections:
Throughout the book, there are also pages devoted to famous engineers, with a good balance between male and female. Entries include Stephanie Kwolek, Brunel, Da Vinci, Grace Hopper and Nikolai Tesla.
Like all the DK books I’ve reviewed this book delivers exactly what it set out to do. It explains the fundamentals of engineering in a clear and accessible manner. It is an excellent companion book for science-based homework for children aged 7-12.
The bright vibrancy of the photos, holds the attention and the experiments outlined are well thought out an easy to follow. They won’t cause too much destruction to your house either. As ever, for DK books, the text is well laid out. There’s never too much text in one place, so it shouldn’t overwhelm younger readers. The descriptions are relevant, concise, and interesting. Young engineers should be swept up in it straight away.
I’ve been massively impressed with this book. Most of the DK books are great for delivering facts and information. How to be an Engineer delivers that, but also, fittingly for a book on such a practical subject, it adds a great hands-on experience too. All in all, if you have a wannabe engineer in your house, you should definitely check this one out.
How to be an Engineer is released in May 2018 and can be purchased here, in the US and here, in the UK.
Did you enjoy this review? If so, do check out my other Word Wednesday posts, here.
This post was last modified on April 25, 2018 10:56 am
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