Science writers will have a nailbiting day on 17 May, when the
Rh么ne-Poulenc 拢10 000 prize for the best children鈥檚 science book is
awarded. Three titles are outstanding: Microbes, Bugs and Wonder Drugs by Fran
Balkwill and Mic Rolph (Portland Press, 拢12.99, ISBN 1 85578 065 8), Our
Universe by Russell Stannard (Kingfisher, 拢9.99, ISBN 1 85697 317 4) and
Wild Technology by Phil Gates (Kingfisher, 拢12.99, ISBN 1 85697 324
7).
Stannard takes us around the Universe, revealing not only what is known but
what we cannot know. Gates unravels nature鈥檚 influence on technology, for
example, the hydraulic systems of an earthworm. But the winners should be
Balkwill and Rolph, who mix narrative, comic strips and microbiology to tell the
story of drugs, from aspirin to whizz, including scientific failures and
successes.
