What's in Your Pocket?

This is such a knowledgeable book! It’s a great book to teach children about scientists that helped discover things. The pictures were excellent, and it will help kids know that exploring and learning is fun!

What a great book! Learn about famous scientists who collected objects that interested them when they were children. Love the illustrations and learned a bit as well. This collection includes world-famous scientists like George Washington Carver, Jane Goodall and Mary Anning as well as people I had never heard of before - a great addition to any library and a wonderful book for children who are curious about the world..

This book teaches kids the importance of exploring and learning. We are never too old to learn! The writing was done well and the illustrations were great.

A pleasant and encouraging book, showing how some famous scientists (and people working today I had never heard of) started out as curious children, stuffing their pockets (and mouths – not recommended!) with goodies and taking them home to analyse and be all scientific over. It's a very attractive look at some episodes of science history, such as Mary Anning finding her first fossils, Darwin gaining his curiosity about the natural world, and so on – but it's not limiting itself to the science history of the past. Instead it's providing a very good lesson in how to create the science history of the future.

Beautiful illustrations and clever prose make this children's book a winner! My children enjoyed learning about various scientists, from a wide range of eras and ethnicities, and acquired a new excuse for all of the "nature finds" they collect on our walks. This is a high quality children's book that easily earns its spot in a library or children's collection!!

This is such a fun way to teach kids about important scientists and their work! Young scientists can often get the message that all of their curiosity, exploration, and experimentation makes them weird. By telling readers how a diverse group of scientists followed their questions as children, Montgomery communicates respect for wondering, even if peers think it's weird.

I will definitely be picking up a copy of this to keep in our classroom and will gift it to budding scientists, as well!

*I received a free e-arc of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.*

What a fun book! Adorable and engaging illustrations paired with simple yet informative text make this a great non-fiction book to read with younger children. It’s something I can definitely read with both my 6 and 9 year old and keep them both interested. And I’m a sucker for additional info at the end and this book did not disappoint. We have short bios on each person mentioned throughout the story, suggested next reads and bibliographies, steps on how to collect, and notes from the author and illustrator. I learned a few new pieces of info from this book and I bet you will too! Recommended to anyone interested in learning something new, no matter your age! 😊

Collecting stones, trigs, and worms can be a sign of a budding scientist! What's in Your Pocket? looks at famous scientists and their childhood tendencies to pick up interesting objects found in nature. Featuring a diverse cast of scientists and children, this book is welcoming to all future naturalists. The illustrations are so lush. I loved pausing on the details on each page!

Absolutely love this concept — and the words and art are executed beautifully. I can’t wait to share it with my kiddos! And as a parent of kiddos who always want to collect little treasures, I appreciate the author’s rules for collecting at the end. So thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this title, and looking forward to holding the real thing in my hands.

This is best children’s nonfiction book I have read in quite awhile (and I used to work in a public library)! It is an all-encompassing book that covers nature and biographies. What a perfectly brilliant way to explain how we learn about the every day things that surround us. It will garner the interest of both parents and children who will look at their world a little differently after reading it. Great book for the entire family!

I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I enjoyed this book and the way it approached learning about important figures in history by showing what they liked to put in their pockets as children. It was over my 5 year old's head but I hope to try again when he's older.

What's in Your Pocket is a read along book. Perfect for big kids to read to little kids because they will both learn something new. I learned about new scientists too. These stories are also aspirational for your little explorers!

I'm one of the mom who forbids her kid foraging stones in my backyard garden until i read this book. I really see this book so beautiful but later I found it was embedded with deep stuff that one must be curious about the nature so as to connect it with it to contribute to the society we live in.

A clever narration for children to learn and apply. Being a mom and remembering my own childhood, you always find something to put in your pocket. A rock, a flower, something interesting that you have found. Any treasure. What's in your Pocket starts with famous collection of real people that were children and how their discoveries determined their life ambitions. Such collectors are George Washing Carver and Charles William Beebe to name a few.

A book that encourages learning, discovery, and respect. The author has laid out rules that respect nature, people, and safety.

A special thank you to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This book is amazing! It encourages kids to be curious about their world. It shares how people who grew up to be scientists started out as curious kids.

This book tells readers about how when scientists were children, they collected, observed and sorted specimens. Their initial curiosity led to amazing discoveries. Readers learn about young George Washington Carver, William Beebe, Jane Goodall and more. The reader, too, is encouraged to do the same thing—collect, observe, sort. I really like the emphasis, too, on the wonder of these activities. Back matter provides additional information about these scientists and includes thoughtful notes from both the author and illustrator. A well-designed book with many openings for thinking and learning about the natural world.

I absolutely LOVED this one! What a great STEM book for little ones, encouraging them to follow their curiosity. It was nice to not only hear some origin stories of scientists, but also an overview of their work. The artwork is also bright and engaging, illustrating each person highlighted well. This is an absolutely perfect gift for the young scientist and curious kid in your life.

This story was cute with kids collecting things, and then when they become adults they actually make scientific discoveries. It was fun to see how what you do as a child could lead to adulthood. It was refreshing that not all the scientists in this book were the common scientists that are always highlighted.

I absolutely loved this book! As someone who encourages my daughter to always be curious about the world around her, I loved that this book did the same. Must read for all little ones!

As an outdoor school educator I am always looking for books to inspire outdoor education and this book hit the mark. Who doesn't know a child (or an adult) who always seems to be collecting and compiling treasures from the outdoors? Put them in your pocket and see what happens. This book not only inspired children to continue filling their pockets with treasures, but showed them what those treasures could become based on others who had done the same. I loved the fiction/non-fiction approach to the book and could immediately use it my classroom. Wonderful!

What an adorable introduction to science and scientists who made amazing discoveries! This is sure to encourage the curiosity and exploration that comes so naturally in childhood.

If you have a young child in your life, pick up a copy of Heather L. Montgomery’s What’s in Your Pocket? This is an absolutely wonderful book. While many books tackle the topic of scientists after they have already made their discoveries, What’s in Your Pocket? begins their stories when they were little and putting things in their pockets, as young children are wont to do. Montgomery also shows more diversity in her line up of scientists, not limiting us to the old white men doing science trope. Really everything about this book is fantastic. Educators, nature centers, and anyone with children they love should pick up a copy. Then head out and look for treasures with a child-like eye.

A wonderful book that will encourage children to collect stuffs that interest them. With the examples of famous people who starts to collect things in their youth, became a renowned scientist that discover so many new things for us to learn. One interesting book to read also just because we're curious of these people we rarely heard.

What’s in Your Pocket is a beautifully-illustrated book that encourages children to explore the natural world around them by providing examples of other scientists who, as children, were curious little outdoor explorers as well. I like how the author used famous scientists as well as present-day scientists who are not as well-known so that children can look into them more if they wish to. While this book is intended for a 4-8 year olds, I think that is a bit of a stretch. My daughter, who is 5, enjoyed the book for three quarters of the way through and some of the vocabulary was a bit over her head, and she is a big nature girl herself! Also the change in font styles throughout is a bit unnecessary and, I believe there are too many for this age group. Beautiful book! Would love to add a hard copy to our nature collection for my kids to enjoy on our back porch!

Such a lovely picture book on science! I loved the combination of storytelling with actual facts about the scientists. Especially the information bit at the end could be used very well in educational spaces and encourage children to go out and explore the world more. I also really appreciated the amount of women in this and learned a few new things myself.
The detailed illustrations are beautiful and add a colourful touch to the text.

I received an electronic ARC from Charlesbridge through NetGalley.
Beautifully illustrated book that offers affirmation for young readers who explore nature. Montgomery shares a wide variety of children who explored and collected and then reveals who they grew up to be. These scientists carried their love of the natural world from childhood. This book encourages current readers to celebrate their own explorations and continue to learn more about the natural world. The book ends with brief biographies of each scientist and other resources for readers. Terrific book to share as a read aloud. Readers can guess who they think each child will grow up to be and open dialogue about their own interests.

How many times have you had to clean out a child's pockets before doing the laundry - or realized after the fact that you had forgotten to check the pockets? Just keep in mind that the tidbits in those pockets could be the start of an amazing career in science. Children are naturally curious about the world around them and all of that collecting and investigating develops some useful skills.

Heather L. Montgomery has written a book that showcases those skills and links them to incidents from the childhoods of famous scientists. Seedpods in the pocket of George Washington Carver. Earthworms under Jane Goodall's pillow. Albums of leaves under Meg Lowman's bed. These things probably drove their parents crazy. But, looking back at those moments from our perspective, we can see the foreshadowing of their life's work.

This book is a confirmation of children's curiosity and an introduction to scientists from a variety of backgrounds in a wide range of occupations. Back matter includes more detailed biographical information about each of the individuals and their work. There are also notes from the illustrator and author, as well as suggested field guides and books for curious young explorers. Perfect as a read-aloud or for individual enjoyment - this book belongs in school libraries and classrooms.

This was a very cool premise for a book. I loved seeing the snippets of info for different scientists throughout history and I'm sure children will agree. It makes a great introduction to different scientists they'll learn about in the classroom, and will hopefully peak their curiosity enough to discover books dedicated to each one.

What a great book! Presenting a lot of knowledge about scientists like Charles Darwin, Jane Goodall, Maria Sibylla Merian in a childlike fashion, starting with these famous persons as children, collecting things they found in nature and so finding their vocation. It encourages children to stay curious and deal with nature and science. The drawings are lovely, and the additional information make it easy for adults who are reading the books with children. The rules for collecting are presented in a nice way too.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book! Telling the stories of several scientists and how they were curious kids with an easy approach with a magnificient message "Every discovery started with just one thing. One little thing that could fit in a pocket."
And the illustrations are so beautiful.
I believe it is suitable for kids eight years old and above.

I loved it.

I find myself wanting to read more children’s books because I love the colorful book covers and the authors make everything so simple. It’s refreshing sometimes just to look at pictures and not many words and just not think for awhile......can you say burnout?

Anyway, I loved the colorful cover of this book and it is such a cute story that will encourage kids to stay curious and explore nature. It gives examples of several scientists and how, as kids, they were outdoor explorers themselves. They would stuff their pockets with all things in nature and their curiosity continued into adulthood and they are now scientists that have well-known discoveries in their field.

The illustrations in the book are beautiful and will keep your child’s attention. What’s in Your Pocket is a great introduction to science for any child ages 4-8 and beyond and will encourage them to continue being curious throughout life.

Montgomery explores the different ways scientists explored the world when they were children. She is engaging and creative, and fairly balanced when showing a diverse group of explorers and world changers.

In this delightful non-fiction picture book, nine scientists are seen first as children, then as adults, showing how their youthful curiosity blossomed into their later achievements. George Washington Carver, William Beebe, Jane Goodall, Charles Darwin, Meg Lowman, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, Mary Anning, Bonnie Lei, and Maria Sibylla Merian are featured. On many spreads, there is a sentence in large font to be read aloud, and a paragraph in a smaller font with more information, for those who can read the book without adult assistance. Readers are
encouraged to explore nature and collect items for further study, but not living things such as insects. The full-color, digital, cartoon-like illustrations resemble gouache and feature characters of various ethnicities, including a Black girl narrator and the diverse scientists included. The back matter includes half-page profiles on each of the scientists.

Books that talk about pockets are always fun for kids. This books is no exception! Love this book! I am sure that children of all age groups would love this book.

This picture book introduces young readers to 'nine budding scientists whose outdoor play led to an lifelong passion.'

The author asks young readers 'Where will nature's treasures lead you?', while also reminding them how to collect responsibly and safely.

This was a unique book and I really enjoyed the fact that it looked at pockets. I've never really thought about pockets having a story to tell, but this really brings to light the fact that what's in your pocket can tell a lot about you.