If you have read Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, then you already know, even without having read it, how marvelous Ada Twist, Scientist is. If you haven't read what I have come to refer to as the STEM trilogy (seriously, these books have SO MUCH teaching potential...) read any or all, and in any order you like. Each book focuses on a creative, curious child driven by a passion, be it building, inventing or asking questions about the world around her and answering her own "whys." And, in each book, our hero faces a challenge, experiences failure, rejection and being misunderstood. This trilogy is almost as much about creativity and expression of creativity as it is accepting and appreciating this passion in a person, which I adore. And these layers are what make Beaty and Roberts's books so easily embraceable and universal. Even if we are not all architects, inventors and scientists, we all have a little bit of these qualities in us and we all value (and want our kids to experience and value) the joy of expression, creation and having a passion.
Oh yeah, and did I mention that Beaty writes the STEM trilogy in absolutely perfect rhyme? Beaty, who also writes novels for kids (Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, Cicada Summer) is a master rhymer - there are never any bumps or head-shakes that happen as you read her books out loud. They FLOW... And, while I do love, love, love Iggy, it's hard not to be super excited about the girl power inherent in Rosie Revere, Engineer (yes, an elderly, pear shaped Rosie the Riveter is a character in the book) and Ada Twist, Scientist, which makes nods to Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie. These books must be read many times and very closely, as Roberts tucks all sorts of nods in his marvelous illustrations, from the titles of books to the furniture and fashions. 
Ada Marie Twist doesn't talk until she is three, but once she figures how to break out of her crib, she is on a "fact finding spree." Her parents have a hard time keeping up with "their high-flying kid, whose questions and chaos both grew as she did." As she grows older, Ada comes to relish the moment when a question takes shape in her mind, this just happens to be the least messy and chaotic part of the process. Happily, her parents also come to terms with the messy and chaotic parts of the process.
I hope that you will purchase any and all of the books in this trilogy for the little people in your life. From the characters and their stories to the rhymes to the magnificent illustrations, these books are about joy - about joy and the qualities that make us human and make life worthwhile - creating, exploring and sharing.
And how cool is this??? A journal! With graph paper pages!
Source: Review Copy
0 Comments on Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts as of 9/5/2016 4:38:00 AM
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Tanya, the title alone makes Iggy Peck Architect an irresistible read. I read the book last year to my then 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 yr old sons and they really enjoyed it. Kids seems to love books where their perseverance prove an adult wrong, i.e. The Carrot Seed:-) I am also very fond of books that expose my children to something completely new. Before Iggy, the boys had never heard of this occupation
Excellent!!! I think you make a great observation - kids love to see stories where their perserverance proves and adult wrong. (In fact, I think I should do a whole post on books with that theme - thanks for the idea!!!) So glad to hear that you love Chris Van Dusen's work as well! When I read "Circus Ship" at story time, I usually end up reading it twice in a row, the kids love
The book was a little too inspirational because the pillow cushions have not been placed back on the couch since:-) They are constantly being used to build forts and bridges and anything else the inventive minds of two boys came come up with.
That is sooo funny! Maybe it's just a boy thing, too. My boys, even though they are 5 and 12, frequently pull the cushions off the sofas to make bridges and forts. They have also been known to pull mattresses off beds to line the stairs and make for soft landings. We don't get snow here, so sledding is but a dream. The stairs are as close as they get to a snowy hill.