Mr Shaha's Recipes For Wonder

Alom Shaha
Scribble, £8.99

This is a wonderfully refreshing, easy-to-read and easy-to-follow book. As a primary school teacher I found the book engaging, as did my pupils.

The book starts with a section about how Alom Shaha became a scientist. It is very easy to identify with, as a child and as an adult. Then we are asked to become scientists ourselves. The book takes you through a series of practical tasks for teachers to do with their pupils or parents with their children.
Clear and colourful pages engage the reader and explain, for example, how to make a crisp-tin camera or a colour-changing cabbage. Each activity is complemented with a scientific explanation of what has happened and why in a "Mr Shaha says" paragraph, which is very helpful for primary teachers who may not necessarily have that knowledge to hand.

Other exciting activities, many of which involve items from the kitchen, include making catapults or drinking-straw oboes. There is lots of fun to be had in a relatively inexpensive manner. All the practical tasks promote curiosity and questioning, and to this end there is guidance for adults on what types of questions to ask.

Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder is a fantastic way to engage, enthuse and wow children into wanting to find out what happened and how it happened. A great addition to any bookshelf.

Kulvinder Kaur Johal