“11 EXPERIMENTS THAT FAILED,” by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, Schwartz & Wade, September 27, 2011, $16.99 (ages 4 and up)
Looking for a dangerous book to hand off to your adventurous and curious child? “11 Experiments that Failed” is the book for you! This book immediately caught the attention of my 6-year-old when it arrived in the mail, though when I looked at it a few hours later I became slightly nervous that some of the experiments might be repeated in my own home. Once I’d offered the “DON’T YOU DARE TRY THIS AT HOME!!!” warning, the book became an enjoyable and funny read for the whole family.
Written in the style of a lab notebook, this picture book chronicles the experiments and failures of its heroine. Mirroring the scientific method in its organization, Jenny Offill’s book explores the “What if’s?” a child’s mind is bound to think about at some point in childhood. Coupled with the creative and humorous illustrations of Nancy Carpenter (some of them incorporating photographs of real items, others including pencil drawings of planned experiments) this book is full of enough new discoveries for many readings.
Encouraging creative thought and scientific explorations, “11 Experiments that Failed” is a great choice for the child interested in science, experimentation, and learning about how the world works.
