10 h 16 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the smallest creature in your garden could open a whole world of questions?
In The Story-book of Science, Jean-Henri Fabre begins with things close to home: insects, plants, and the ground beneath your feet. The French naturalist and teacher guides young readers through familiar surroundings, asking how and why. Science starts here with something you can notice, rather than a heavy definition you must learn.
Fabre treats clear explanation as part of understanding. He watches small animals closely, ties ideas to what can be seen, and chooses common words wherever possible. When a new term is needed, he explains it along the way. His patient approach invites you to look again at ordinary life and find more to wonder about.
What you’ll discover
- Start close to home Find a starting point for science in the familiar world of house and garden.
- Look before you explain Follow Fabre's habit of watching closely before deciding how something works.
- Clear words for hard ideas Explore science through plain explanations that give unfamiliar terms a clear meaning.
- Small creatures worth noticing Share a naturalist's patient attention to insects and the lives of small animals.
- Knowledge leaves room for wonder Discover an approach in which understanding nature makes it more marvellous, not less.
Who will love it
For parents, teachers and curious readers who love science explained warmly and without jargon, and anyone who enjoys nature writing about insects, plants and the wonders of an ordinary garden.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Begin with the things at hand
- Watch closely before you explain
- Hard ideas can be told in plain words
- Knowledge deepens wonder, not weakens it
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
- 10 h 16 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Il libro di scienze
by Jean-Henri Fabre · 1867
Fabre turns the house and garden into a place of discovery, where familiar things reveal how nature works.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Story-book of Science is a book of science for young readers by Jean-Henri Fabre, the French teacher and naturalist who spent his life watching insects, plants and the ground beneath his feet. Fabre wrote for children because he believed that science should be told as a story, in plain words, and that a child can follow it if it begins with things the child already knows.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Begin with the things at hand
Fabre's first habit as a teacher is to start close to home. He does not open with distant stars or heavy definitions. He opens with what a child can touch, see or find in a garden, a field or a kitchen. A stone, a leaf, a drop of water or a small insect becomes a doorway into larger questions.
The reasoning is simple. A child who has held a thing already cares about it, and a child who cares will listen to an explanation. Fabre trusts that curiosity is already there and only needs to be pointed in a useful direction.
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What is The Story-book of Science about?
It is a book of science for children by Jean-Henri Fabre. It explains parts of the natural world in clear, friendly language, starting from familiar things and encouraging young readers to observe and ask questions.
Who was Jean-Henri Fabre?
Fabre was a French naturalist and teacher who died in 1915. He is remembered for his careful studies of insects and for writing science in a vivid style that ordinary readers, including children, could enjoy.
Is The Story-book of Science suitable for children?
Yes. It was written for young readers, with short explanations, everyday examples and a warm teaching voice. It also works well when an adult reads it aloud to a child.
The author
Jean-Henri Fabre
1823–1915 · French entomologist and author
Jean-Henri Fabre was a French naturalist and entomologist, often called the "Homer of the insects" for turning patient observation into literature. The Story Book of Science shows his rare gift for making the natural world thrilling to young readers.
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