Book review: George’s Marvellous Experiments
Roald Dahl is one of the world's best-loved and well-known authors of fabulous literature for children.
Author: Roald Dahl
Reviewed by: Samantha Keogh
Review made possible by: Penguin Random House South Africa
Which child hasn’t spent many an hour marvelling at the adventures of Charlie (and his chocolate factory), Matilda or Sophie (and her BFG)?
No matter which of his wonderful tales delights your children, this book of experiments has something for every budding scientist.
Based on the exploit of George and the Marvellous Medicine he created for his “grizzly old grunion of a grandma”.
Six chapters – Marvellously Messy, Excellent Eruptions, Vivacious Vehicles, Fabulous Food and Delightful Drink, Electrifying Electricity and Magnificent Magnets, and Quick ‘n Easy – your sprog will be entertained for hours by projects using everyday, household objects and ingredients.
Children are taken through each experiment step-by-step to create an exploding volcano using bicarb, crunchable candy crystals using sugar and food colouring, or munchable metal using breakfast cereals.
Most of the experiments are safe for children to undertake alone, however, some have steps (marked with a yellow exclamation mark) which require adult help or supervision so it is best for mum or dad to be home when the science begins.
Readers can’t age on the age range this book is best suited to – some say five to seven year olds while others put the ideal age of the reader at 10 to 12.
However, no matter how old your child is they are sure to love the messy concoctions offered in this book.
