Bringing Science to Children
Neera Jain
THEY FOUND WHAT? STORIES OF DARING DISCOVERIES BY INDIAN SCIENTISTS THEY MADE WHAT? STORIES OF INGENIOUS INVENTIONS BY INDIAN SCIENTISTS by Shweta Taneja Hachette India, 2021, 288 pp., 399.00
October 2022, volume 46, No 10

Here’s a welcome addition to popular-science writing for children in India. Shweta Taneja, the author, is passionate about familiarizing children with scientific ideas and has been doing so effectively. She has won several awards for her books and this one has been much appreciated too.

The title on the cover says: They Found What? Stories of Daring Discoveries by Indian Scientists.  But, surprise! If you flip the book you find that the back cover is actually a front cover as well and it says: They Made What? Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Indian Scientists. So, this is a two in one book; half is about scientific discoveries and the other half is about inventions. The two parts could both have been placed side by side, but they have been placed in opposite directions! Just for fun, I guess.

The author has written twenty stories of Indian scientists pursuing their chosen field and successfully overcoming barriers to reach their Eureka moment. Most of these scientists are living today and still working. So, through this book, Taneja has made contemporary research in India accessible to young readers and to adults as well. Something to be welcomed, right?

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