Hello, friends! Our book today is Cece Loves Science, written by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, a wonderful introduction to the scientific method.

Ever since Cece was a baby, she has loved asking questions, especially “why?”, “how?”, and “what if?”. Her parents and science teacher, Ms. Curie, all encourage her curiosity and creative mind. One day, Ms. Curie assigns the class a project: with a partner, choose a branch of science and conduct an experiment, starting with a question. Cece and her best friend Isaac, along with Cece’s trusty dog Einstein, decide to ask the question, “Do dogs eat vegetables?”. The trio then conduct observations and experiments, recording their results and adjusting their hypothesis. After several attempts to feed the picky Einstein his veggies, they seem to have a boring result – until Cece takes Ms. Curie’s advice to think outside the box.

Awesome! First of all, yes yes YES to books that celebrate female scientists, especially girls of color – seeing Cece’s passion for research and natural inquisitiveness was a treat, especially since she was supported by family and teachers throughout. From there, this is a good basic rundown of the scientific method: observation, asking a question, gathering information, forming a hypothesis, testing, concluding, reporting, and evaluation. The experiment itself is well-designed for its audience (dogs and not wanting to eat veggies are stakes most kids can relate to), and the insets of Cece and Isaac’s notes help keep track of the structure. My only complaint is the inference that a boring result is a bad one – any scientist will tell you that an experiment that produces data is a successful experiment! But with the story’s zest for science, adorable and engaging illustrations, and a comfortable length for young readers, it’s an easily forgivable trifle. JJ loved this one and so did I – Baby Bookworm approved!