Pasteur’s Fight Against Microbes

Pasteur’s Fight Against Microbes is the story of Louis Pasteur and how he discovered microbes.  I am not a scientist (by any stretch of the imagination), so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book – not to mention my children.

It’s a short little story, one that starts with the request of one of Pasteur’s student’s father:  Please help me solve the problem of sour beetroot juice in my factory.

Then, in a very readable, understandable way, the authors tell about Pasteur’s quest for answers, the questions he asked himself, the experiments he set up to test his theories, etc.

My oldest, who is a scientist at heart, loved this story because of the questions and experiments.

My second-oldest, who is an artist at heart, loved this story because it focused on a person and told his story and the dilemmas he faced as he worked.  When we started reading this book, I literally saw her go from slumped on the couch, thinking dejectedly “Now we have to read science,” to sitting up right next to me, absorbed in the story and studying the pictures.

This book a great introduction to science for young minds.

Recommended for ages 5 and up.