Monster Stones: The Story of a Dinosaur Fossil

Review also includes:

Sun Up, Sun Down: The Story of Day and Night, 978-0713662535

A Drop in the Ocean: The Story of Water, 978-0713662566

Charging About: The Story of Electricity, 978-0713662580

Making science accessible and fun for younger readers is no easy task, but the author/illustrator partnership of Bailey and Lilly makes a brilliant job of it in this new series for Key Stage 1. Bright appealing cartoon-style artwork and a continuous narrative text treat each topic in the form of a story. So in Monster Stones we learn how the dinosaur fell in the river in the first place, how its bones were transformed into fossils and what happened to them when they were unearthed. Speech bubbles punctuate the artwork with a commentary that is pitched just right for the age group. Similar treatment follows in each of the other titles and Bailey is particularly good at explaining abstract concepts such as the evaporation of water or the flow of electric current. Each book includes a relevant practical project – how to make your own model fossil for example, or a sundial – and a small selection of recommended websites is also listed. Highly recommended for classroom use or for supporting project work.