Some scientists study plants. Others study the stars. And others study the oceans. This book explains what different scientists do and what they need to know. Photographs show scientists exploring the world around them.

With full-color, full-page photographs throughout plus straightforward and engaging text, the I Want to Be ... series is an appealing introduction to a broad spectrum of occupations.

The series gives young children a realistic insight into the working day of adults. Easy-to-read captions and color photographs of women and men from different cultures help children understand what's involved in each occupation. Young readers learn to respect the importance of doing a job well and appreciate the contributions these workers make to our life and the world around us.

These books are perfect for reading alone or in group story times. They are certain to spark questions and encourage dialogue and prompt children to learn more about these occupations.

DAN LIEBMAN is a longtime freelance editor and author. He wrote the monthly “Star Gazing” column for Famous magazine for over ten years. Before that, he wrote (under the name Clare Annswell) “StarScope,” a popular syndicated column for U.S. community newspapers. He also wrote an astrology column for Harlequin magazine and edited Harlequin’s series of astrology books.

Dan Liebman's profile page

Through clear close-up color photographs, this Spanish translation of I Want to be a Scientist provides early readers with the basics of the job of scientist. I like that women and men of different races are portrayed as scientists. Includes a list of additional kinds of scientists at the end.

Youth Services Book Review

This sturdy 24-page book introduces young readers to the many types of jobs that scientists do... Each page is filled with a photograph, with a white text box providing information about a particular field of science and what the scientist is called who works in that field. Readers get a chance to see that science jobs range from biologists to those who work in robotics. Both male and female scientists, of various ethnic backgrounds, are shown.

Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's and Young Adult Literature