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The Who Was - Series

In this episode, the Who Was? - Series . . .

With over 250 titles, Penguin Random House Books Who Was? - Series tells the incredible stories of trailblazers, legends, innovators, and creators.

Are you a bibliophile, an individual who loves and frequently reads books (a bookworm)? What is it that compels you to pick up a book? Is it the cover, is it the title, how about an interest in a specialized subject, or just - perhaps it's a whim?

One of my ultimate goals with these podcasts is to reach a young audience. I've found that reading children's books is a gratifying and educational experience. Yes, even grown-ups can understand difficult concepts. To my surprise, both children and adults seem to appreciate the experience.

With education such a hot topic in the news right now, we need to be reminded that whether it's going to school, visiting a museum, or online learning, the goal of education (both young and old) is to nurture an interest in learning. William Butler Yeats said it best, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

And what better way to light a life-long intellectual flame than reading. Allow me to introduce you to Penguin's Who Was - Series.

It was late November; I had been racking my brain trying to come up with our 2021 extraordinary Christmas podcast story that we record for our young nieces, nephews, and friends with young children. Last year we recorded and produced The Grinch. I don't know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me, reading aloud to children is rewarding as can be.

While browsing the gift shop during a recent visit to The Griffith Park Observatory, I stumbled upon Who Was Albert Einstein, a children's book with a colorful, bold caricature cover image of Einstein. At first, I didn't think much of it and left the shop. Going back to view exhibits, I decided to sit next to the statue of Einstein in the Gunther Depths of Space exhibit.

Placing my hand on my chin to imitate Einstein and gazing into space, it hit me; education, children's books, 8-12-year-olds.

Wasn't it the Cal. Tech physicist Richard Feynman advocated learning a subject so thoroughly that one could explain it to a 12-year-old?

Here are the four key steps to the Feynman Technique:

  1. Choose a concept you want to learn about
  2. Explain it to a 12-year-old
  3. Reflect, Refine, and Simplify
  4. Organize and Review

That's it. I practically ran back to the gift shop and purchased the book—a whopping $3.99.

Here is the introduction to the book Who Was Albert Einstein? by Jess Brallier.

(Audio pages. 1-2).

Learn more about the entire collection at whohq.com. You can purchase any of these books from amazon.com, just search for "who was book series." With over 250 titles, there's bound to be something that will fascinate you, check them out.

If you have a question or podcast suggestion please email me at pball@sbcglobal.net or click the link https://anchor.fm/patrick-ball/message you can leave us a voice message.


I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening; see you in the next episode.

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