Inventors & Scientists (Download)

I am so excited about these new series! My kids are really enjoying this character book. They are excited when we read it aloud and are impatient at taking turns to choose an inventor or scientist for me to read about. Beautifully done with somewhat silly caricatures, but filled with a depth of encouraging stories of how ordinary kids and adults achieved amazing things by their inventions and made the lives of others so much easier. This book is Christian based and talks about some wonderful Christian inventors and scientists.

Many thanks to the author and Master Books for providing these beautiful series to our kiddos.

This book is a fantastic way to introduce your kids to people in history. It is so inspiring to learn about how the things in our world came to be. Each person in this book has a short & easy to read biography. Any words that might be a challenge to young readers are defined right on the page. The illustrations are fun & help kids stay engaged to the story. This book can be used for pure enjoyment or an add on to curriculum. A list of Master Books curriculum that would be good to use this book with is included.

What a great book for introducing our students to some of the inventors and scientists, while pointing to the Creator and original Designer!

I’ll use the story of Samuel Morse as an example. All within one ten-page story, the reader is introduced to Samuel Morse, plus many aspects of life in early nineteenth century America. For example, we learn that young people aspiring to an art profession would go to Europe (in this case, London) for further education since there were no art schools in America; discover that it could take a month for letters to reach northern states from a southern state; learn the value of diligence and perseverance applied to art and the invention of the telegraph; and above all, are reminded that God is the Author of electricity and is the One who gives wisdom and ability to use it for good.

We are reminded of our nation’s Christian heritage in references such as Yale College being “established as a religious school as designated in its charter ‘wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts & Sciences who through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and the Civil State.’” We hear wise counsel from Morse’s father that applies to any student learning to use language skills to the best of their ability: “His busy father found time to write back, encouraging Finley to keep writing often and to learn to be clear and effective in expressing himself in letters.”

Small illustrations throughout keep the text load on the page a bit lighter for elementary readers. There is a full glossary in the back of the book, but I like that the glossary words are also included in side columns as they are introduced in the story. I really appreciate the guide to the corresponding Master Books curriculum in the back, as well, so I can plan the best time to pull in one of these chapters to round out another area we are currently studying.

I highly recommend this book as a faith-building and character-growing resource that will not only give wonderful reading practice and expand vocabulary, but also help students appreciate the wonders of design in God’s creation and the many ways they have been utilized by those who patiently study science and experiment with inventions. Maybe one of our students will follow in their footsteps someday - and when they do, may they give God all the praise and glory!