Oscar and the Bird: A Book about Electricity; Oscar and the Snail: A Book about Things We Use

Two very simple science books in picture book format for the youngest reader. Oscar, a small kitten driven by curiosity and full of questions, explores his surroundings. Happily another small creature is on hand to provide the answers. Snail explains the properties of different materials – why a feather floats for example and why a stone sinks – and describes how other materials such as glass, plastic and bricks are made. In the companion volume a chirpy bird answers Oscar’s questions about electricity, from the battery that drives a tractor’s windscreen wipers to the electricity that flows through overhead power lines. The books have a simplicity and naive appeal about them with their muted colours and sans serif type. Further titles are available in the series, though the publisher misses the opportunity to list them anywhere on the books.