There is a common belief that science is about objective facts while literature expresses subjective opinions and emotions. Increasingly the gap between science and literature is becoming smaller as artistic imagination and scientific inquiry enjoy unprecedented attention in the publishing world and in the media. Picture books that engage with science offer children and teachers ways of understanding science differently. This chapter will use a number of picture books to illustrate how texts for children are opening up artistic ways for developing science understanding in content areas and encouraging general capabilities with respect to information and communication technology, critical and creative thinking, and possibly numeracy. It will also demonstrate the many common features that science and literature share such as communicating curiosity, passion and awe to inspire and instruct young readers about scientific discoveries and the wonders of the world in which they live.
There is a common belief that science is about objective facts while literature expresses subjective opinions and emotions. Increasingly the gap between science and literature is becoming smaller as artistic imagination and scientific inquiry enjoy unprecedented attention in the publishing world and in the media. Picture books that engage with science offer children and teachers ways of understanding science differently. This chapter will use a number of picture books to illustrate how texts for children are opening up artistic ways for developing science understanding in content areas and encouraging general capabilities with respect to information and communication technology, critical and creative thinking, and possibly numeracy. It will also demonstrate the many common features that science and literature share such as communicating curiosity, passion and awe to inspire and instruct young readers about scientific discoveries and the wonders of the world in which they live.
