Alan Wilson's Reading List

"It’s got lovely pictures and nice stories. It’s facts you can pick up and build on. It doesn’t go into anything in too much depth. Some things you will have heard of, and as an adult you can also pick it up and find it interesting. This book will spark people’s curiosity. And it’s got poo in it; which kid doesn’t want a book with poo in it? Again, it’s about presenting important concepts to get people thinking. They may not go and read more about it right now but they may remember something about it in five years’ time when they get further on in the education process. And it’s great for sibling education."

"This is a nice picture book with some interesting concepts. At first you think it’s just a book about wolves, and then when you get into it in more detail there is rewilding and important points about ecology and why predators matter and so on. You get absolute nitty gritty detail about the original 14 wolves and it’s got facts that you can then go and research. It’s about how the ecosystem works, and it brings you nice starting points that form the basis of going further into discussion. And it has some lovely illustrations. I think it appeals to a wide age range because, as you say, it can be almost a storybook where you look at the pictures, but my son in his mid-20s identified it as his favourite book of them all. I don’t think you can put an upper age limit on any of these books."

"This book has a personal angle on scientists, which is different from the other books on the shortlist. In terms of format, it’s a small book. We didn’t want everything to be a big expensive picture book. You could stick this one in a pocket and read it for half an hour while you’re waiting for a doctor’s appointment. It’s a book which someone will sit down and read and hopefully explore and feel inspired by. I think it’s wonderful because of all those things. The topic is important, and trying to understand people’s reason for being in science and how they went on to have that career path is really important. Diversifying the range of kids who are interested in science is about genuine diversity, so it’s good to tell the story of different people who are in it."