BadGirl

Someone persuaded me into The Owl's Nest second hand bookshop yesterday. I told them this was a bad idea. We'd left my leash at home.

At the back of the shop I found three bays of children's fantasy and science fiction (I'd already cleared out the hard back selection the week before). I'll have to go back once I have a list of what I bought, but I filled my Concussion tote bag and now have a collection of about eighty really unprepossessing children's sf novels.

Why is it that any title configured " The X of the Y" is calculated to inspire gloom in the critic's heart?

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At the moment I am in the very last days of editing 2004's research project, which is why my postings on children's sf have been sporadic. As from Monday, it will be children's science fiction on a full time basis. Considering the general quality of much of this material I fully expect my brain to have turned to mush by the end of February. In addition to the children's sf, however, I also intend to catch up with my reading on education and cognitive development. I've already come across some interesting material on teaching science which seems to proceed from the interesting premise that children will, ipso facto be unwilling from the start.

Who was it who described children as "natural" scientists?