New edition makes science fun for children

Guangxi Science and Technology Publishing House recently launched a new edition of children's science popularization book Wa! Kexue Haojiandan (Wow! Science Is So Easy, originally the ExploraDoc Collection). The first edition, comprising nine volumes, was first introduced into China from France in 2014. It covered nine themes—aviation, energy, water resources, minerals, agriculture, forestry, fishery, publication and social security in five major areas: condensed matter physics, life science, geosciences, technology and engineering, and social science.

More then 40 professional organizations and companies, including French national library, Airbus and research institutes of ocean development and geology cooperated with five science popularization writers and three illustrators to create book's content through more than 100 large-scale studies and interviews.

In the new edition of two-volume hardcover book, the publisher has upgraded the content and added more than 1,000 photos taken during the research and interviews. Chinese domestic experts have been invited to proofread the book so as to guarantee its accuracy.

Yin Chuanhong, deputy secretary of Chinese Writer Association of Science Popularization, said at Beijing Book Fair on Jan 9 that the book is really a difficult project because creators had to talk to people from all walks of life to learn first-hand information and knowledge. Each scientific adventure in the book starts with a common thing and inspires children to observe and think about science in everyday life. While exploring all the details behind the curtain, the book also offers a trans-disciplinary angle that will help children to nurture a thinking mode that can connect knowledge of different areas in a systematic way.

"Good books of science popularization will not only provide children with knowledge, but also influence the way they think," he said.