100 Steps for Science: Why It Works and How It Happened

In an enriching history of scientific progress, Gillespie offers a well-rounded chronological overview of breakthroughs and advancements in 10 areas of science: space, wheels, medicine, energy, and more. A section on sound touches on Aristotle’s early musings about how it travels (“He thought the sound of a bell might travel in waves through the air”), as well as acoustics, echolocation, and ultrasound imaging. Within the life chapter, Gillespie discusses evolution, cells, the human genome project, and environmentalism: “Now we know that humans have damaged our giant, worldwide ecosystem for centuries.” Du works in bright blues and citrus tones, and her understated cartoons give a clear sense of historical settings as well as scientific processes, such as how electricity is generated at a power station, making the concepts all the more comprehensible. Ages 7–10. (Apr.)