Popular scientific literature for children

Children's interest in science, of course, should be supported by all means, this is well known. Even during the Soviet Union, one of the most important factors in the professional orientation of schoolchildren was popular science literature. Books that tell us about, say, nuclear physics in an accessible and interesting language, have brought a lot of young people to the engineering universities of our country. Today, measures are being taken to revive the interest of schoolchildren in the literature of this genre. Despite the temporary decline in interest in this kind of literature, the prospects for the development of the genre in our country certainly exist.

Why do modern children become less interested in popular science literature?

Compared with previous generations, schoolchildren do not show much interest in books today, scientific popular literature is no exception. This decline in interest is due to the fact that today there are a huge number of alternative sources of information that are more procrastinating for children than the book. It is much easier and faster to find out what interests us, from a television program or the Internet, than to go to the library in search of a suitable book.

Another factor that can not be overlooked is, in fact, the lack of authors who are really able to interest the child, because popular scientific children's literature is quite a difficult genre. To write for children is always difficult, because you need to not only bring the information to the young reader, but also to keep his attention, to carry the book into the world. To date, there is only a limited number of worthy authors. If the 70-ies of the last century can safely be called a flowering, a time of abundance of talented authors, the 80's already characterized by a significant decline, in the 90's it was hardly possible to find a publishing house of popular scientific literature. Substandard works, which were periodically published, did not arouse interest either among children or among their parents, which inevitably led to the fact that the genre of popular scientific children's literature was gradually lost to oblivion.

Role in general education

Many believe that the literature of this genre can serve only to expand the general content of subjects taught in schools, but this is not so. In addition to expanding the outlook of the child, which in itself is an extremely important task, there is another, no less important goal - motivation. Popular science literature for children helps to awaken genuine interest in the world that surrounds us, to look differently at seemingly boring school subjects. It is extremely important not only the scientific, but also the biographical component. It is useful for schoolboys to learn about how from the simple child the scientist-pioneer grows. It is very important to have an example of how a person achieves success with the help of knowledge. Scientific popular literature is full of such examples. Thus, we motivate the child to learn, to strive for knowledge of the world for the sake of achieving high goals.

How to develop a child's desire to read?

Of course, in today's conditions it is extremely difficult to interest a child with a book, especially scientific. Many parents find it impossible to ever see their own child reading, and not at the computer. Of course, not every child can be attracted to literature, but a capable schoolboy is very realistic, if the joint efforts of parents and teachers are applied. The task of the teacher, in fact, is to time to notice the child's emerging interest in a particular discipline and tell him what a popular scientific literature on this subject. Parents, in turn, should strongly encourage the student's interest. Do not forget to be interested in his successes, more often communicate on topics with which he is addicted. Do not force to read such literature forcibly. It is necessary to try to convince the child that it is interesting and necessary, then he will have a desire to take up a book.

Prospects for the development of this genre in Russia

Fortunately, recently there has been a steady increase in publishers' attention to this genre. Popular science literature is slowly but surely reborn. For example, the modern publishing house "Prosveshcheniye" has been releasing a series of children's educational books since 2007, entitled "Your horizons", from which you can learn a lot of new things, for example, read about outstanding women of Ancient Rus, how a person knew electricity, and many things Friend. One can not but mention another series of books called "On the Verge of Peace". It will suit those who are fond of history. The series tells about the development of relations between Russia and Germany, Russia and Japan, France, as well as other countries with which our state fought. There are other series, for example, scientific popular literature about nature is in demand today.

Selection of literature for children

Children's book club "Chitarum" offers children and their parents a selection of works worthy of attention. Oriented books, listed below, for children from six to nine years. If you decide to interest your child with reading and at the same time want this reading to be most useful for the development of his horizons, you will need popular science literature. So, we present to your attention the five most interesting books from the point of view of the "Chitarium" on various subjects, choose what your child desires. Each young reader is individual, therefore it is necessary to take into account everyone's tastes, in order to really interest the schoolboy, and not to force him to read something that he is not interested in at all. Children will be happy to explore and study what they like, what they chose. It is very important to give them the opportunity to choose, do not need to decide for the child, than he is interested in. Do not try to fill your own knowledge gaps at the expense of your children.

"Cool mechanics for the curious" (author - Nick Arnold)

In the book an interesting, and most importantly accessible, language describes the basic principles of the operation of the simplest mechanisms and machines. It not only explains how this or that mechanism works, but also gives examples of their use in life. Following the instructions stated in the edition, the child can independently design models from details.

"Why is the water wet?" (Gemma Harris)

Here you can find the answer to almost any children's question. Scientists of various fields of knowledge answer the questions most often asked by schoolchildren. The book can be read from the beginning, from the end or from the middle, or simply look for something interesting with the help of the index.

"Secrets of anatomy" (Carol Donner)

The book describes the incredible adventures of the twins Max and Molly, who, having become tiny, found themselves inside the giant's body. Reading the book, the child, along with her characters, examines the human body. The author has very successfully managed to turn a boring story about the structure of our body into an entertaining adventure.

"Children's Encyclopedias with Chevostok" (Elena Kachur)

Already known to all of the audiophiles, the hero - Chevostik - now turns into a book genre called "scientific popular literature." The main characters go on exciting trips, during which they will get to know the world. Of course, this is much more interesting than listening to or reading boring lists of scientific facts.

"Cosmos" (Kostyukov, Surova)

The title of the edition already speaks for itself. The book is a joint project, narrating about everything that is connected with the cosmos and its secrets. Scientific and popular science literature about the vast space, so far from us, has always attracted children of all ages.