This book offers a unique perspective by exploring what life was like before major scientific discoveries. I found this book to be engaging and informative, providing valuable insights into the historical context of scientific advancements, making it a great resource for anyone interested in the history of science.

The premise of this book grabbed my attention and there was a lot of the content that also intrigued me. I did find myself skinning over some of the sections that didn’t interest me quite so much but all in all it’s a good book for anyone with an enquiring mind.

This is a well written book for older elementary and middle school students. It is a book for home or for school with interesting science history inside. The information is well designed with details written in short segments including wonderful illustrations to fit everything nicely. Learn about some science history starting with recent through discoveries and inventions of the past. These are inventions that are world changing such as the TV and vehicles. Talk about inventors and how some of the discoveries were not planned. There are great details in this book with the facts, a glossary, timeline and index — everything you’d want is included.

This was really a neat take, I liked that it went backwards because most kids can imagine when their parents were kids, and working back from there makes sense, instead of jumping waaay back to start. I think my 7 year old will enjoy that aspect a lot. The art was cool and there was enough info, but not too much (that she might get bored reading)

We've worked our way through this book slowly the last few months, because my kids loved it. We'd go through a page or two at a time and then set it aside again. This book spurred a lot of conversation and experiments. This book was perfect for our 9 and 6 year olds. My engineer husband also enjoyed looking through it and adding to what the book said. Great read I'll be recommending to friends and family.

A great book if you have to help your kids at home with their history class. Most kids couldn't grasp the idea that not that long ago you had stuff like landline phones, you had to really really wait for your computer to even come near the internet.

This book has a nice approach , it goes from our timeline back and explain in a clear understandable way what invention happened and how life was without them.

Even we grown ups can learn a thing or two ;)

I had fun with this books and my oldest daughter used it for a presentation in school.

Thanks for letting me read this great book.

If your kids loves science or want them to love science, look no further!
Backward Science is a book that will show you a lot of different inventions from old times to now.
It is soooo much fun to know. For example how the world wide web looks like before now. Or how digital camera first invented, and so on. You will get a lot of information, not only for your kids, but for you as well :)
The book is fully illustrated and each topic used 2 pages.

Know young reader that loves science? seriously, this one! :)

Here are my pros and cons for Backward Science:

Pros

1. I liked the “backward” perspective. I think it helps really drive home how important some of the inventions were and how much they have changed how we live our lives now.
2. Each chapter or page presents a “Life Before” scenario and then introduces inventions and innovations that have made life easier, more comfortable, or just better in general than it used to be. For example, the first entry discusses life before smartphones and satellites and discusses how things like communication and navigation used to be very different in the past. Then brief details about the invention of mobile phones, smartphones, apps, and satellites are provided and we learn how these items completely changed how humans communicate and experience the world.
3. Some of the 27 “Life Before” topics included in the book are: the internet, digital cameras, personal computers, television, air travel, anesthetics, cars, electric light, fire engines, and the wheel.
4. There is a helpful glossary included in the back of the book to help children understand unfamiliar words.
5. There is also an interesting timeline at the end of the book that provides a visual perspective of inventions and innovations over the centuries.
6. Creative and fun illustrations by Anne Wilson.

Cons

1. I loved the illustrations, but I feel like I need to warn parents or potential readers that there is a rather gruesome illustration depicting a leg amputation. While fitting for the topic – invention of anesthetics for surgery and what people had to endure before they were available – it still surprised me to find it in a book for kids. I’m not particularly sensitive to stuff like this, and perhaps kids won’t be either, but I felt I should note it exists.

Summary
As an adult, I remember life before things like digital cameras, the internet, smart televisions, and personal computers. However, this book is targeted at 7 to 11 year olds, and they haven’t experienced “life before” those things. Kids today haven’t experienced any of the “life before” scenarios in this book. And therein lies the most important thing about this book in my opinion. Not only does it provide information about unique and innovative inventions, but it specifically identifies how those inventions made life easier or even just more fun. I think that perspective is important so that everyone – kids and adults alike – appreciate the things we have! I also think it can remind us all that creative and smart people are always changing and improving things and we should be excited about all the innovations we may be able to experience in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an interesting take on learning about inventions and change. It looks and what the world was like before the invention, who invented whatever it was, how the world has changed since that time. It covers a variety of things from the wheel to the computer, smartphone, and beyond. There are lots of illustrations, and a few paragraphs for each item discussed. I'm not sure what the target audience age range is, but I thought it was interesting, and I can see my 8-year-old grandson enjoying it as well.

This is such a great perspective on how science has advanced through the years and a good way to explain to kids what it was like when their parents or grandparents were kids. I am going to convince the library director in charge of purchasing that this book is a must buy for the kids section!

an informative children's nonfiction about many inventions that we encounter in our everyday life. It was enlightening but also engaging and fun and I think children would enjoy it and it's told in short chapters with drawings and illustrations to help children visualize what certain times in history were like compared to now.

I like to read books geared to children every now and then, and this was enjoyable!

Backward science is a fun and engaging book that explores the many inventions that we encounter in our everyday life. I like how this book brings the history behind these inventions, giving the reader a background history of her the invention came about and evolved overtime. Showing how individuals added to concepts to make improvements that made a lasting impact on the invention. Also loved the use of the illustrations in this book, they helped in not only engaging the readers attention but also furthering the understanding of the inventions that were explored in the book. The introductions and explanations about the science behind these inventions is short but that gives opportunity for the reader to further explore an invention on their own and learn even more.

"Backward Science" is a non-fiction book that leads readers through the development of some modern technologies and inventions that we sometimes take for granted. The developments covered in this book include refrigeration, wheels, phones, television, toilets, airplanes, paper, and many others. A two-page spread for each topic includes color art work that depicts times past, found at the top of the pages. The bottom half of each page details information that takes the reader through the development itself, including inventor biographies, science explanations, and historical details. Smaller color illustrations accompany the text in these sections. A glossary, index, and timeline for all the products and processes completes the book.

Children and their families will enjoy reading this book together, although it would also find a happy home in school or classroom libraries. Readers will be amazed at the interesting details that underlie the development of many of the inventions we use today.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

'Backwards Science' mixes world changing scientific discoveries and history beautifully! I loved the neat illustrations and fascinating educational content. This is perfect for older elementary school aged children.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

The title to this book is rather misleading in two ways because for one, there's nothing backward about it really. There are almost thirty sections which deal with advances in science or, mostly, with inventions. They begin with asking what life was like before the discovery, and how the change came about and was developed. The other way is that it's less about science per se, than it is about invention.

The chapters are short but fascinating, and they cover a wide variety of topics, from smart phones and DNA profiling, to assembly lines and gunpowder, and textiles and steam trains. The book doesn't shy away from naming the inventors, so we see, unusually, several women mentioned as well as some people of color. Unfortunately people of color do not appear in the illustrations very much. Those consist mostly of white folk. I'm not sure why.

Some of the inventors might not seem familiar to you, for example if you think that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb (nope!), or that William Hoover invented the vacuum cleaner. Nope. Had the original inventor of a practical home vacuum cleaner not sold everything to Hoover, we might well be spangling the rug today, not hoovering it!

This book was fun, knowledgeable, and nicely-illustrated by Wilson. I commend it as a worthy read

This non-fiction title presents the context and the benefits of many technological advancements. Filled with informational side bars and profiles of inventors, the central piece, the invention, takes the bulk of the presentation. Some sections also present the futuristic view briefly providing the view of the past, present, and future. This is a wonderful book for all #science, #STEM, nonfiction lovers.. Buy this book for providing hours of delightful engagement for your young reader.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is a fantastic unique book about certain devices/equipment that has evolved/adapted over time but starts with it as it is now and goes backwards in time.
The book is told in short chapters with fantastic drawings and illustrations to help children visualise what certain times in history were like compared to now.
This in an interesting and informative book that children will love on both a science and history level.

BACKWARD SCIENCE: What was life like before world-changing discoveries? by Clive Gifford is a children’s nonfiction book aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds. It was illustrated by Anne Wilson. This is a well-written book that has short chapters and lots of information. The author uses a different tactic than most by starting with more current inventions like smartphones and works backwards in time.

After the introduction, each chapter starts with a section that describes life before the chapter topic. It then has several short sections on related inventions, discoveries, etc. giving names, dates, and information about the early devices. Besides a table of contents, there is also a glossary, a timeline, and an index.

I read the occasional children’s non-fiction book to seek out gift ideas for family members. I can definitely recommend this one. The youngest targeted readership will likely need help with some of the words, but it would make for a fun family read. The illustrations are well-done, colorful and engaging. The content is entertaining and informative. The one thing that I thought was missing was references for additional reading (appropriate for the age group) on the various topics.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – QEB Publishing and Clive Gifford for a complimentary ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Gifford has created tw0-page spreads to share information about 27 different scientific areas/inventions. He works backward to share how life was before these items were around.
The short paragraph and blurbs style works to present enough information and not drown an elementary level reader.
Some of the information presented felt choppy and incomplete. It was interesting to see what Gifford chose to include about each topic. Condensing to four levels in the backstories must have been a challenge and he makes smart choices in what is included.
The Glossary and Timeline included at the end help readers with vocabulary and with how all of the included areas fit together. He also offers a challenge to look to the future and watch what will be invented.
This is a springboard book to present beginning information and encourage readers to pursue further study if something interests them.

I found this to be very enlightening but also engaging and fun. This explores different advancements that we have had and the timeline of how we got there. For example, medical treatment, appliances, smartphones. The illustrations were great. They were realistic, but also brought an air of humor and quirk to the writing. This is not too detailed, but just enough to really enjoy reading about our advances in the world. Great to read to kids or for kids to explore on their own.