THE NEXT SCIENTIST

A message to the groundbreaking scientists of the future, with connections to those of the past and present.

“So,” Messner writes, “where are the next great scientists now?” Perhaps they are “building stuff” in their yards or garages—like Isaac Newton, who made kites when he was a boy, or Lonnie Johnson, who as a youngster built a go-kart engine from scrap. Johnson grew up to design spacecraft for NASA (and invent the Super Soaker); as for Newton, he only became one of the greatest scientists ever. Likewise, as a child in Lebanon, Ayah Bdeir enjoyed taking radios apart and later became a maker of electronic educational toys; as a refugee from El Salvador, Carolina Peñalva-Arana came to the U.S. to become a molecular ecologist. The inspirational tenor will assure young people that they, too, can follow suit, while the variety of subjects—many not typically covered in children’s nonfiction—sets this one apart from similar fare. In a gallery of over 40 people who are diverse in terms of race and cultural background, Kuo depicts this array of scientific luminaries first as children and then as adults, differing in dress and setting but all looking intently focused on what they’re doing or studying. As Messner concludes in a soaring finish, all are also hoping that today’s young “makers” will “be up to the job of creating a better world.” She leaves it to readers to answer her opening question.

A stirring invitation to join the great enterprise.