Story of Science - Set

Implementing the same conversational narrative style that made her American history series A History of USso popular, Joy Hakim here directs her efforts charting the (often bizarre) history of science. Be aware that Hakim writes from a secular perspective and treats the Christian creation story as a mere myth, but for the most part this is a straightforward presentation of the history of scientific thought and practice. Also, the Christianity of many prominent scientists is glossed in favor of concentration on their scientific achievements.

She begins with the earliest efforts to establish a calendar and numerical system, and progresses through several millennia to cover Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, Einstein and the most up-to-date astronomical research. LIterally filled with full-color illustrations (including photographs, drawings and paintings, and graphs and charts), each of these three volumes is designed to draw kids into the fascinating study of science and its course throughout successive generations.

The first volume, Aristotle Leads the Way, begins with the dawn of scientific inquiry and progresses through to the Middle Ages, ending with the work of Francis Bacon. Newton at the Centeris longer and deals mostly with the advent of modern science, paying special attention to the theory of gravity, men like Robert Boyle and Michael Faraday, and the establishment of molecular science. The final book, Einstein Adds a New Dimension, explores 20th-century scientific progress mainly through the lens of Einstein's life, career and thought.

Visually appealing and highly readable, these are the kind of books that will make kids who don't care about science interested, and provide those that do a comprehensive overview of its history. Evolution is treated as fact, with lengthy sections about the Big Bang Theory and other related matters in the third volume. Despite this secular orientation, The Story of Scienceis an excellent introduction to an element of scientific study that often gets lost among the particulars of physics, chemistry and biology.