Childrens

The Atlas of Space

I first became interested in astronomy when I borrowed a telescope from my school. Growing up in the city meant that I rarely saw the full beauty of the night sky, but my curiosity was piqued, and I was thirsty to know more. Now, decades on, I have my own telescope, and I know my…
What’s the Big Idea: Artificial Intelligence

“Can Computers Think?” asks the subtitle of this book. Like its sibling title, ‘What’s the Big Idea: Alien Life‘, this book was great fun to write. Working closely with the brilliant illustrator, Andrew McLynn, was a real pleasure, and explaining the history of attempts to make computers intelligent was a challenge I took on gladly.…
Learn About Rocks and Minerals

Inside the pages of this book is a great mixture of information, explanation and practical demonstrations to do at home. It was fun to write – another book that caused me to have fun and make a mess in the kitchen! From the publisher: “Discover the amazing world beneath your feet with Learn About Rocks…
Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science

This major work combined several existing ‘Eyewitness Science’ titles, some of which were written by me, with some new sections and a general introduction. I wrote the new content and acted as a general editor and overseer of the project. The existing books that were included as chapters in this 448-page tome were ‘Eyewitness Visual…
What’s the Big Idea: Alien Life

“The answer is in here” suggests the subtitle of this book! Like its sibling title, ‘What’s the Big Idea: Artificial Intelligence’, this book was great fun to write. Working closely with the brilliant illustrator, Andrew McLynn, was a real pleasure, and explaining the history of attempts to make computers intelligent was a challenge I took…
Magnets Detective File (activity pack)

This was an unusual project. Working closely with the editors on this book was a great experience, because we had to decide what physical components we could realistically include with the book. We decided on a few small magnets, some wires and even an electric motor. This was a real creative endeavour, with illustrations, stories…
Start-up Science (a series of eight books)

The eight books in this series are: Fast and Slow; Wet and Dry; Floating and Sinking; Hot and Cold; Push and Pull; Big and Small; Loud and Quiet; Light and Dark.
Young Scientist (Activity Pack)

This was quite a challenge to make so early on in my career. The box contained a book and a collection of items needed to carry out the scientific demonstrations – and deciding what to put into it was tricky. The result was great, though, and I still have a copy to this day!
The Explorer’s Handbook

Just after I stopped working for the Science Museum, and became a full time writer, I was asked to write this book. It is filled with information about the Science Museum and packed with related activities to do at home.
Eyewitness Science: Energy

This was the one that made me leave my job at the Science Museum in London. I was enjoying writing books, and I thought I could make a career of it. It was a privilege to write a title in the prestigious Eyewitness series, and this was a great introduction to illustrated information books.