The Story Book of Science

by Jean-Henri Fabre

The wonders of plant and animal life told with rare literary charm by Uncle Paul in conversations with three children. Besides such stories as the ants' subterranean city, the spider's suspension bridge, and the caterpillars' processing, he unlocks the mystery behind thunder and lightning, clouds and rain, the year and its seasons, and volcanoes and earthquakes. Suitable for ages 9 to 12.

Genres: Science, Childrens, Nature, School, Science Nature, Middle Grade, Nonfiction

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

Fabre was born in Saint-Léons in Aveyron, France. Fabre was largely an autodidact, owing to the poverty of his family. Nevertheless, he acquired a primary teaching certificate at the young age of 19 and began teaching at the college of Ajaccio, Corsica, called Carpentras. In 1852, he taught at the lycée in Avignon.

Fabre went on to accomplish many scholarly achievements. He was a popular teacher, physicist, chemist and botanist. However, he is probably best known for his findings in the field of entomology, the study of insects, and is considered by many to be the father of modern entomology. Much of his enduring popularity is due to his marvelous teaching ability and his manner of writing about the lives of insects in biographical form, which he preferred to a clinically detached, journalistic mode of recording. In doing so he combined what he called "my passion for scientific truth" with keen observations and an engaging, colloquial style of writing. Fabre noted: Others again have reproached me with my style, which has not the solemnity, nay, better, the dryness of the schools. They fear lest a page that is read without fatigue should not always be the expression of the truth. Were I to take their word for it, we are profound only on condition of being obscure.

Over the years he wrote a series of texts on insects and arachnids that are collectively known as the Souvenirs Entomologiques. Fabre's influence is felt in the later works of fellow naturalist Charles Darwin, who called Fabre "an inimitable observer". Fabre, however, rejected Darwin's theory of evolution; on the other hand he was not a Biblical creationist either but assumed a saltationist origin of biodiversity.

In one of Fabre's most famous experiments, he arranged processionary caterpillars to form a continuous loop around the edge of a pot. As each caterpillar instinctively followed the silken trail of the caterpillars in front of it, the group moved around in a circle for seven days.

Jean-Henri Fabre's last home and office, the Harmas de Fabre in Provence stands today as a museum devoted to his life and works.

The site of his birth, at St Léons, near Millau is now the site of Micropolis, a tourist attraction dedicated to popularising entomology and a museum on his life.

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids were sad to come to the end of this but somewhat placated with the promise that we would probably revisit this again in the future with a younger sibling.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my children as part of our homeschool curriculum. Although it was written in the late 1800s in France, it is wonderful for children, and covers many aspects of science. It is written in story form. A scientists uncle teaches his three nieces and nephews science through their hands on experiences and adventures. The translation uses some big English words, and words that aren't commonly in use now, but that gave us opportunities to look those words up, and learn even more.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Really good book. Very educational. The best science book ever written. And it’s very entertaining too.”

—From my youngest child, my final homeschooled student, and possibly the only one (out of five) who ever finished this whole book.

I’ll agree, even if it did take me 10 years and homeschooling five children to finish it myself.

[Brit Chhangur · Rating 4 out of 5]

AO year 4 science. Annie and I read this one together. Made us dig deeper into a lot of topics! Bees and ants especially memorable.

[Karyn Tripp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully engaging living book about all areas of nature and science. It is told in such a fun story-like way that it engages kids and they alway want just one more chapter. We have been reading this in our homeschool and I am so glad I discovered this fun book.

[Shane-Raina Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the form of the uncle teaching his niece and nephews (their own curiosity and individual characters adding much interest to it overall) about the natural world. This made the book come alive for us.

[Courtney Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science is not my forte as a teacher. I hate the prep and mess of "experiements", and tbh it'd just not an area of interest to me.

So a lot of our homeschool science curriculum is made up of living books. And Storybook of Science is definitely our favorite.

[Emery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an AO book, and it had me skip a few chapters.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

We spent over a year reading this book and found it a delightful science read aloud. My children were fascinated by Uncle Paul's descriptions of so many creatures, plants, and parts of the world.

[Bethanyanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with my daughter for school. Some stories were better than others. All around it was a fine book

[Mariah Dawn]

Third time through. My son gives this book 3 stars. He says he thought this book was for babies. 😆

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, fascinating, and informative. French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre wrote this book in 1882, so for a modern reader it is a great way to learn history as well as science. And the scientific information isn’t nearly as dated as you might expect—Fabre’s keen observations of the habits of insects, and his explanations of steam power, electricity, weather, sea life, etc. remain just as true today as they were then. The book is structured as a series of conversations between knowledgeable Uncle Paul and his curious niece and nephews—this could have been really hokey, but Fabre is a skillful enough writer that he is able to pull it off quite well. My favorite aspect of the book is Uncle Paul’s continual insistence that the beauty, harmony, and intelligence found in nature is a reflection of the Creator. I highly recommend this book for Christian homeschoolers or any curious children or adults.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn’t what we post moderns would think! It is a way of telling scientific facts to young children, as though stories (who doesn’t like a good story) were being told instead of dry facts. Yes, it is a bit “old-fashioned” and perhaps a couple of ideas are out-dated. However, it was learning material even for this adult with a bachelor of science degree! I believe it would be interesting to read with the grandchildren in elementary school. (Covers weather, animal and plant life, and many other topics)

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good informal way to introduce lots of science topics to youngsters. Some of the info is outdated (copyright 1917 😀), but it’s so accessible and friendly — it’s a good introduction, and whets the appetite to investigate and learn more.

[Sarah Coller · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter, Avalon, (13) and I finished this today after having read it very slowly over the last few years. It was a really special experience and I gifted her with the book when we were done. These stories were sweet and it was fun to see how things were explained so long ago.

[Andrea Matlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Homeschool science

Great early elementary science book. Engaging for kids. Covers lots of information that you can dive further into with other sources.

[Talley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the way the author presented actual science concepts in a playful way.

[Jean Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd love to see an edition with more illustrations.

[Laura Fidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, enjoyable, and a much-needed reminder of how children are naturally attracted to the world around them.

[Treva · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this living science book for 4th grade.

[Ellieee Gracee]

Amazing book
Really gives you an idea on nature and all things about it you need to know

[Bobbiann Markle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to my son (10) for homeschool. He found it pretty easy to understand and fairly enjoyable. Covers a huge variety of topics from volcanoes to mushrooms to honeybees and much more.

[Jamie Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to learn natural science through stories!

[Eliza Fitzgerald]

Tom said that this was his favorite school book this year

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
We enjoyed some chapters more than others and discussed or skipped the outdated ones.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice natural science book, the kids mostly enjoyed it. A bit dated and a bit too long though.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer 2022 This is such a treasure. We mostly read this aloud but was thankful for the audio as back up on busier weeks. My son was thoroughly engaged by the story telling and we enjoyed how the concepts built on eachother. We were especially tickled to learn about some of the plants that we were familiar with in name only such as Belladonna and we hope to steer clear of it in the wild.

[The Hofs · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy that these are reprinted!

[Amy]

Kids finished, but I have not.

[Jaeger Matthias]

I like it. The book is about how ants live, types of metal, and other things like that.