Junior
Science
Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries 62
Lights Mirrors and Lenses 62
Air, Wind and Flight 63
Levers, Pulleys and Engines 64
You won't find a better series to aim at than the early
Junior Science editions, which represent Ladybird at their finest. Written
by F.E.Newing B.Sc.& R. Bowood, illustrated by Harry Wingfield, they
offered a series of fascinating experiments you could perform to illustrate
scientific principles. Magnets, Bulbs & Batteries was the first
in the series, with the list of "articles you need" including
1.5 volt batteries, torch bulbs, a bar magnet, a horseshoe magnet, plasticene,
tin-tacks, a large bodkin, a small cork, a clothes 
peg,
one or two small pieces of wood.
What more did any child need in those days to keep amused why learning things? Wingfield was at his best with some charming illustrations - a personal favourite is the one where two children send Morse code signals from bedroom to bedroom at night. I always wished I had a similarly aged neighbour who would help out...
Another
fascinating image shows a young girl dismantling a battery with a pair
of pliers, whilst a boy sticks bits of metal into a lemon & sucks
the end of them. It makes today's "E" popping youngsters look
tame by comparison! As well as magnetism, static & "real"
electricity are discussed, including the classic final sentence; "remember
- never touch mains electricity!" Bowood & Newing teamed
up on quite a few science-based books, such as The Weather and
some in the Natural history series. Bowood tackled several books on
his own, including The Story of Flight, and the short Our Land
in the Making series. Interestingly, the team returned to help
with the revamped series 621 in the early 80's.
Lights,
Mirrors & Lenses moved onto a safer area,
that of light. Topics included shadows, pinhole cameras, periscopes, peppers
ghost, lenses, making a telescope (need: two lenses, one ruler, plasticene).
Like the entire series, the beauty lay in the simplicity of materials
needed to illustrate a scientific principle. Today's multi-media teachers
might do well to flick through these books now & again.
Throughout the illustrations, one can see the beautifully drawn eyes of excited children, surely a central part of the visual appeal. The endless fascination of simple devices such as prisms is lovingly demonstrated.
Air
Wind & Flight explained such burning topics as "why does
the wind blow"and "why does an astronaut wear a special suit"?
Other exciting experiments showed include how to empty the water from
a fishtank with a tube - you have to feel sorry for the poor fish.
The cover is wonderful - you can even see the girl's hair being blown by the wind. How many people's childhood can be summed up by images such as these? Like some of the others, this book includes a few "self-referential" images - piles of books are inevitably topped with a Wills & Hepworth special!
Levers
Pullies & Engines tackled slightly more complex devices such as
pendulums, turbines, internal combustion engines & gyroscopes, but
reading through the pages, they don't seem more complex. A working
pulley is made form 4 cotton reels, a coat-hanger and some string. There
are no plastic bits, nuts or bolts to get in the way. Once again, wide-eyed
children conduct the experiments with enthusiasm and delight.
Later
additions to the series included: Zoology, Weather, Botany, Air, Magnets
and Electricity, Simple Mechanics & Simple Chemistry. Offering a similar
approach, they used mostly photographs in place of the beautiful artwork
of the 60's classics.