
Member Reviews

I don't think I can recommend this book. It has a rather haughty tone to it and talks about cultural myths as if the people who created and believe(d) in them are ignorant.
I had to stop reading this with my kid because the premise of introducing 'scientific topics' was to put down cultural stories in order to explain a scientific principal, when in fact we don't know why these myths were created.
As someone who studied anthropology and sociology at university, the ethnocentrism was blatantly obvious. I think if they had introduced topics as a way for scientist to think of places to start or that caused them to want to be explored more it wouldn't be as bad. I think it's extremely toxic to think that just because one honors their ancestral stories means that they don't believe in scientific theory.
I had a really hard time picking this book back up to try and finish it, it was like being in a room with someone who whole-heartedly thinks that what they believe is fact and can have no nuance for anything that differs from their way of thinking. I was so uncomfortable.

Liked by my child and myself, Big Ideas From Science follows an interesting structure and narrative posing and answering important questions.
At the core lies critical thinking, inquisitiveness, reflection and creativity.
Coupled with stylish illustrations, the essays engage the readers with quality information and questions. I liked how philosophical, rich and insightful it was. Highly child-appropriate and engaging.