Scientist, Scientist, Who Do You See? A Scientific Parody

As can immediately be guessed from the title, Scientist, Scientist, Who Do You See? is a parody of the children's classic, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. (with illustrations by Eric Carle). Rather than being a tongue-in-cheek parody, this is a straight-up affectionate homage to the look and pacing of the original. As with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, each double-spread is taken up by a single scientist (animals in the original) who both introduces the person on the next page and is the answer to the question (“Who do you see?”) on the preceding page. The scientists are depicted in various types of clothing together with one or two items that represent their work, such as a wrench, microscope, peanut plant, or a scroll of computer code.

The scientists are from a goodly mix of time periods, disciplines (physics, botany, meteorology, computer theory, etc.), and ethnicities, while the gender ratio is completely 50:50 (the sequence of alternating men and women sets up another interesting visual rhythm that is more noticeable when reading slowly with a child), making this quite a refreshing read for folks who may remember their early science textbooks being populated mainly by European males from the 19th century.

The illustrations may have been made digitally but have a look similar to paper collage, a possible nod to Eric Carle's work on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, although these are much less textured and complex. The illustrations are made up of flat, simply colored shapes, but the scientists' faces have individual expressions that seem to reflect warm or humorous personalities, giving some depth to the pictures.

The text is not as bouncy as the original, but it can be convincing when read with enthusiasm. And when considering the limitations imposed by the multisyllabic names and terms (such as “Lovelace”, “Chien-Shiung”, “laboratory”, “geometry” and “laser chemistry”), the end result is actually astonishingly good – it reads naturally and doesn't feel forced.

At the end of the book there is an “About the Scientists” section which gives brief, two-sentence summaries of the scientists' work, introduces Chris Ferrie as the author-illustrator, and tells readers that they are the next person to answer questions and change the world.

In order to fully enjoy Scientist, Scientist, Who Do You See?, it should probably be read in a mixed group of grownup(s) and children, and both the young reader and the grownup reader should already be familiar with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. Ideally, the grownup should be ready to elaborate on each of the scientists, the scientist’s field of study and impact on the world. The title could still be an enjoyable read without any of these conditions being met, but, if all three came together, it could lead to a wonderful exploration of scientists' lives and perhaps promote a child’s lifelong interest in the sciences.

Scientist, Scientist, Who Do You See? is a good book for school visits or group storytime with children of mixed ages, especially when the reader can field casual questions tossed her/his way, or for one-on-one readings when the grownup can discuss each scientist at length.