About the Holiday

Today’s holiday was established in 1983 and falls on the birthday of Thomas Edison. The day honors all of those thinkers and tinkerers from the past as well as today who, through ingenuity and persistence, design inventions that advance our world. To celebrate, take your kids to a museum or explore more about the creative minds involved in their favorite subjects.

Dream Big, Little Scientists: A Bedtime Book

Written by Michelle Schaub | Illustrated by Alice Potter

So many young scientists are ready for bed; they yawn and sigh and close their eyes. A brown-skinned girl, having stepped from her solar-system rug to sit on her space-themed comforter gazes out her window to see “the sun has tucked itself in bed; the moon is on the rise.” She’s surrounded by reminders of her favorite subject, including posters of Carl Sagan, the phases of the moon, a telescope, and her nighttime reading: Stars and Planets.

In other places children get ready for bed in rooms that reflect their personalities and love of various sciences too. A future geologist lounges in a room decorated with images of mountains, volcanoes, a poster of Jess Phoenix, and lots and lots of books on rocks. For a child who dreams of being an oceanographer, “the oceans rock the world to sleep; the waves whisper, ‘Good night.’” Jacques Cousteau is the hero here, and two little fish also drift off to sleep in this ocean-themed room.

Image copyright Alice Potter, 2020, text copyright Michelle Schaub, 2020. Courtesy of Charlesbridge.

Twins are ready to put their heads together to fight climate change. Their bunk beds sport pictures of weather events and posters of Gabriel Fahrenheit and Anders Celsius. “While mossy carpets stretch out wide, tree limbs yawn up high, ” another child, who wears a hearing aid and is inspired by botany, tends to potted seedlings. The pictures of George Washington Carver and Thomas Meehan on the wall show their approval

Snuggled in fuzzy bear footy pajamas, the next child huddles in a blanket tent as other “daytime creatures settle down in den or hole or nest.” Wangari Maathai smiles from her poster on the wall, which is also decorated with a mural of a deer, tiger, and giraffe among greenery, flowers, and mushrooms. A girl who uses a wheelchair finds physics fascinating. Among her mentors are Donna Strickland and Stephen Hawking, and books about the laws of science are her bedtime reading.

Image copyright Alice Potter, 2020, text copyright Michelle Schaub, 2020. Courtesy of Charlesbridge.

For a future paleontologist mindful that “slumber’s been a part of life since prehistoric days,” the past sparks her imagination. A microscope, a fossil kit, bones, and dinosaur pictures join a poster of Mary Anning in this room where current projects and future projects fill this busy child’s desk. A doctor in the making relaxes before sleep with yoga, knowing, from the books on medicine, physiology, and health on the bookshelves, of the connection between mind and body.

From slime to the periodic table, the elements of chemistry excite a child who looks to Marie Curie and Alice Ball for inspiration as she experiments with her chemistry kit and ponders the make-up of matter. As these children from “all around the world bed down in different ways,” they are united in their love of science. So, “dream away young scientists, tomorrow you’ll learn more—when you awake and venture out to ask, observe, explore.”

Back matter encourages readers to think like a scientist with short descriptions of all the sciences presented in the story and a link to the Science Kids website. Children are further invited to visit Michelle Schaub’s website to learn about the scientists who appear in each of the posters.

Image copyright Alice Potter, 2020, text copyright Michelle Schaub, 2020. Courtesy of Charlesbridge.

Michelle Schaub’s meditative poem tucks sleepy children into bed as the world outside also quiets and renews itself for another day. Schaub’s smart verses deftly weave together this nightly process with the dreams that spark many children’s daytime passions now and for their futures. Beautiful language and elegant, flowing rhythms bring to life the joys of science and the wonder of our natural world while also touching the heart of every young visionary.

For young readers, turning each page is an invitation to one fun sleepover after another. In her vibrant, cartoon-inspired illustrations, Alice Potter creates rooms that any child would love to call their own. Decorated with comforters, curtains, rugs, and accessories that reflect each child’s chosen science, each bedroom offers plenty of details for children to linger over and explore. One clever detail that readers will love searching for in each child’s room is the photograph of all of these future scientists gathered together. Potter’s depictions of this diverse group of kids is a welcome reflection of our communities and friends.

Dream Big, Little Scientists: A Bedtime Book is an inspiring read for any time of the day and will be asked for often. The book is highly recommended for home, classroom, and public library collections.

Ages 3 – 7 

Charlesbridge, 2020 | ISBN 978-1580899345

Discover more about Michelle Schaub and her books on her website.

To learn more about Alice Potter, her books, and her art, visit her website.

Watch this dreamy Dream Big, Little Scientists book trailer!

National Inventors’ Day Activity

Big Dreams, Little Scientists Activity Guide

Explore your own love of science with this awesome activity guide! With lots of ideas, suggestions for further study, links, and even trading cards, this guide will have kids observing, doing, and learning with enthusiasm. Cross-curricular activities make this a perfect accompaniment to the book for teachers and homeschoolers. You can download  from Michelle Schaub’s website here:

Big Dreams, Little Scientists Activity Guide

You can find Dream Big, Little Scientists at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

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