The Experimenters: Luke and Ruby’s Scientific Sleepover
Dr Shane Bergin, illustrated by Sayani Mukherjee
Little Island Books

It’s the half-term holiday and Luke and Ruby are excited to be spending the week at their grandparents’ home, which is full of amazing treasures. Both grandparents had been scientists: Grandad studied animals and Nanny studied outer space, “We did all sorts of experiments along the way,” Grandad tells the siblings. Nanny explains the basics of scientific experiments and immediately the siblings are eager to start . There follow eight chapters that present different science topics the children do, the first being observations of birds in the garden.

Next they explore floating and sinking with a variety of objects when they are asked to predict first and then test, and a question from Ruby prompts Grandad to bring up density and how it makes something float or sink.

Thereafter they look at ways of making music; make telephones from two paper cups and some string, make and bake a sponge cake;

test reaction times; closely observe minibeasts and finally, plant some seeds in pots to take home so that they can watch them grow.

Throughout it’s evident that the children are thoroughly enjoying themselves; the grandparents in turn offer encouragement and sometimes make a suggestion but they never force, rather they allow the siblings to work things out for themselves.

Inserted into each experiment are pages called “You’re the Scientist’ wherein Dr Shane Bergin asks readers to do some scientific thinking too.

This is a fun, playful way of encouraging young children to be science learners and Sayani Mukherjee’s illustrations certainly show the characters enjoying their investigations.

One to add to both home and KS1 class collections.