Adventures with a Microscope

While it's true that this book was written a long time ago and many of the chemicals will no longer be sold to children, it still teaches science to children the way it should be. I'd recommend this text over any of the recent efforts that compromise the science for political correctness. Furthermore, the author does not talk down to his audience. Adults reading along and helping their children will be just as engaged and informed. Scientific terminology is used in the book but it's explained very well. Since it's written for the intelligent reader however, it's only explained once. Headstrom's insightful observations are as relevant now as they were when they were written, and this should provide a sound basis for further study and exploration for the inquiring mind. The constant use of puns and the style of writing comes from a time when the world was a different place, however this adds to the charm of the book. 142 line drawings are used throughout. I'd highly recommend this book to adults and children of any age taking their first steps in microscopy. I'd also recommend that adults do not give a child a microscope without a copy of this book. Subjects covered include protozoa, algae, diatoms, desmids, flowers, insects, spiders, common food items, mosses molds and lichens, higher invertebrates, blood, and forensic subjects such as fibers, hair and fingerprints.