Cover Reveal: ‘Bill Nye’s Great Big World Of Science’

On October 27, Abrams Books for Young Readers will release Bill Nye’s Great Big World of Science, written by Nye and science journalist Gregory Mone. The 264-page hardcover book, with a first printing of 100,000 copies, covers a wide range of scientific topics, from zoology to chemicals to climate change and the solar system. Of the book, the New York Times bestselling author and host of Bill Nye the Science Guy said, “Bill Nye’s Great Big World of Science is the book I’ve always wanted to write. It’s aimed at students, of course, but it’s written for the whole family. The essential elements (pun intended) are the home demonstrations (the experiments). There are over 30 of them. Because it’s a big book, Greg and I could cover a lot of ground, a lot of ocean, and a lot of cosmos.”

In the book’s introduction, Nye and Mone explore the importance of science, writing, “Science is both a collection of hard-won facts and a process that helps us understand our world.” They go on to write, “You may meet people now and then who aren’t willing to consider or accept what scientists have discovered and proved to be true. They’re often uneasy about science in general.” They urge readers not to follow that path, but instead to “use your brainpower to learn about the cosmos and our place within it.”

Mone, who’s also co-authored the Jack and the Geniuses children’s book series with Nye, said the book is aimed roughly at kids in the third through eighth grades. “Kids are incredibly curious at that age. They ask all the right questions about the world and how it works, and it’s really important to give them the kinds of answers that encourage them to keep asking questions, thinking critically, and staying curious.”

Mone said Nye’s approach to scientific subjects in his television show has made him kids’ “favorite substitute teacher.” Mone, a longtime science writer, has three children in the target age of the book, and has learned how to approach complex subjects in ways that speak to them. “When you talk to kids about science, you can see when their brains light up, and when they start to lose interest and you need to move along and change your approach,” Mone explained. “Bill and I basically took the same approach with the book. Keep the stuff that will light up their brains, and try to cut or slim the rest.”

In addition to exploring everything from why dolphins swim faster than Olympic swimmers, botany, electromagnetism, and supernovas, the book also profiles what it calls “super cool scientists” from a range of fields, offering insight into their career paths. “We hope that this diverse mix of women and men from all over the world will show kids that not every scientist looks like the white-haired Einstein type you see in so many cartoons,” said Mone. “Hopefully, kids read these stories and quotes and think, Hey, that could be me! If you become a scientist, you get to tackle some of the biggest questions in the universe!”

The book also includes over 30 experiments created by Nye, which Mone called “an absolutely essential piece of the book so that kids see that science can be this fun, hands-on, interactive experience.” They range from exploring “earth’s rocky wrinkles” by baking cookies to decoding dark matter using loose change, among many others. Mone’s favorite is the Backyard Bombardment, which simulates asteroid strikes. With many students doing online learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mone said the book can be a way to supplement their scientific education. “The experiments are designed to be done safely at home, and to help kids and parents understand some of the ideas discussed in the book.”

Even more than following the experiments to the letter, Mone said he hopes parents and teachers use the book “to spark conversations.” Rather than an encyclopedia, Mone calls the book “a collection of some of the coolest and most thought-provoking ideas and discoveries in science. I’d love to see kids and adults reading a page, or even just a paragraph, and then talking through what they learned, and what new questions an idea or story sparked. You tend to run out of things to talk about as a family during quarantine, and this book is the ultimate conversation starter. You could chat about aliens one night and hydrology the next. I know, aliens sound cooler. But wait until you read our hydrology chapter. It’s fascinating how water moves around the world.”