Isabel dreams of being a super detective. She's actually a natural-born scientist. She just doesn't know it yet. Science is boring, but detective work is exciting! Along with her family, Isabel uncovers secrets of the natural world. In her first adventure, we meet Isabel and explore with her as she learns the mystery of glowing waves. Isabel's stories promote self-learning and are simple introductions to natural science, suitable for ages 3-7. "This beautifully illustrated story swept me back into the wonderment of my own childhood...it's the perfect spark to enliven a child's curiosity of the natural world above and below the ocean. A pure joy to read for both adults and kids!" - Linden Wolbert, Ocean Edutainer "It's the exact type of book I'm grateful my parents chose to read to me in order to encourage my own growing curiosity for the natural world." - Chad Shagren, Underwater Camera Operator - Discovery Shark Week, NatGeo "This is a great primer to introduce children to life science concepts. Follow Isabel to discover tiny creatures in a wondrous world. Natural science is everywhere. Curiosity makes you smarter!" - Dr. Y.H. Carol Tan, Ph.D., Cancer Research Scientist
Rick Allen is a writer, photographer, AAUS scientific diver, and PADI Divemaster. He’s collected data for oceanographic researchers, fed sharks by hand, and loves seeing bioluminescence when scuba diving at night. What really drives him, though, is sharing those adventures with young people. There's nothing like seeing a child's eyes light up when they encounter something wonderful for the first time.
Exploring the forests and lakes of Southwest Michigan as a young boy nurtured Rick's love of ecology. He now lives in Southern California with his wife, daughter, and orange tabby cat. He enjoys telling stories that promote outdoor play and self-learning. The heroines in his books are designed around creating strong female adventurers for his daughter to look up to.
Isabel loves examining the world through her trusty magnifying glass, and she is especially adept at using it to solve mysteries just like her favorite detective. Whether she is helping her parents determine the culprit of a garden mishap, or she is exploring the varied life forms at the seashore, Isabel is always on the hunt for answers. So, when Isabel and her parents venture out onto a bay near their home one evening, she is captivated by the glowing lights she observes every time the water moves. And it takes one more special tool for Isabel to see beyond what her eyes can sense in order to spot the creatures responsible for the water's bioluminescence.
This picture book celebrates the children who look beyond what is expected and truly recognize how the world works. Short, accessible phrases make the book particularly well suited to young readers, and scientific words are broken down into smaller pieces the first time they appear in the text. The phrases are placed beside full color, digitally rendered illustrations to bring the whimsy of bioluminescent life to children's minds. Whether or not readers have ever studied plankton and other tiny sea creatures, this book does a good job of introducing the idea of these important creatures in an approachable way. For the most part, the text and illustrations work well together; it is only on rare occasions that a close overlap in color makes the text difficult to read.
Young elementary school aged readers with an interest in STEM concepts will find this to be a book that will encourage them to dive deeper into the study of biology. Disappointingly, there is no glossary or appendix to help readers better understand the scientific terminology in the text; such an addition would elevate the book from a storybook to an informational nonfiction text. Overall, however, the story is accessible to young girls in particular, and the vivid images of the plankton stand out as a means of better understanding these microscopic creatures. This is an intriguing addition to library collections for young scientists.
I received a copy of this book from Reedsy and I chose to leave this review.
Isabel is a curious little girl who uses her magnifying glass to solve mysteries. But when the clue to her latest mystery is too small for even her magnifying glass, she uses her father’s science equipment to look at the microscopic cause behind what makes the nearby bay glow at night.
Isabel and the Invisible World is an engaging science story for kids that doesn’t cram an interest in science down readers’ throats but instead presents an enthusiastic character that readers will want to emulate. Filled with colorful illustrations and introductory science terms, this book is the perfect balance of a fun and educational story.