World Book Day: 5 Books for Curious Thinkers and Changemakers
Authors:
Dr Beth Mackintosh: Mum, educator, and philosopher.
William (age 10): Budding young changemaker and worldbuilder — aka minecrafter.
The philosopher Hegel compared philosophy to the owl of Minerva and famously wrote: ‘The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of dusk.’ A philosopher I write about, Mary Midgley, whose memoir is perfectly entitled The Owl of Minerva, saw philosophical thinking was something we need to all do when things become ‘dark and difficult’ and not just retrospectively, but for the world(s) of tomorrow. We need the thinking work of our wise old owls, but we also need to cultivate our young fledgling larks to be part of the world building of tomorrow.
My son (William, age 10) is currently undertaking the CATALYST After School course and he has loved exploring questions surrounding the use of technology and AI, philosophy, ethics and working on his own Capstone Project. He has also managed the challenge of having some sessions led by his mum, even sending a few heart reactions in my sessions, which has, in turn, melted my heart. The course, led by CATALYST’s Academic Director Justin Pinnells, has led to some brilliant ongoing discussions at supper, before bed, in the car, and has also led to us thinking about thinking (and what good thinking looks like) and how to enact change in the world.
A coin at the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon depicting the owl of Minerva (c. 480–420 BC)
This World Book Day, William and I humbly offer some thoughts on our Top 5 Books for Curious Thinkers and Changemakers.
“We need the thinking work of our wise old owls, but we also need to cultivate our young fledgling larks to be part of the world building of tomorrow.”
1. Wild Robot, Peter Brown
From the Owl: A book about heart and humanity, and yet with not one human character. I wept in the cinema, and I wept as I read this beautiful tale of Roz and how she had to learn to become a mother, as I did. The push and pull of raising young Brightbill with ‘the programme’ and instinct, crushing guilt and boundless hope, fiercely alone and with the help of a forest village creates a powerful opportunity to think about the many dualisms we create and live with.
In a similar vein to The Iron Man (which could also easily have made our list) the book is able to shake up traditional ideas of the hunter and hunted and friend and foe, when, for example, Fink (the Fox) becomes an unlikely co-parent to the young gosling and this is one way the book encourages children to reject an easy or fixed moral status of characters. The book offers an opportunity for this ethical spectatorship and to think about expansive ways we can think about who is a parent, who belongs, who we can live with and who and what we can become as a community.
From the Lark: I loved the book (and the film) – it teaches you that no matter who you are, or what you are, you can make a difference. Roz just keeps going and works hard and her work is about all about preparing and protecting ourselves from future threats.
Stephen Law in 2014 at the Forschungsinstitut für Philosophie Hannover
2. Philosophy Files, Stephen Law
From the Owl: I have been teaching with this brilliant book since William was born in 2013, two years after it was first published. It is still a firm favourite and there is no better book to introduce younger children to philosophy. One former student of mine, now in her twenties, recently told me she still vividly remembers using the book, full of fantastical and fun thought adventures and questions about the nature of reality, the limits of what we can know and the ethics of eating meat! Not only lively, but also full of integrity and William and the cohort know precisely what philosophical scepticism is and why the brain in a vat thought experiment explores this, thanks to the brilliant writing of Stephen Law.
From the Lark: I liked Alf and how he escapes from the cave. Thinking about caves and prisons got me thinking about how YouTube and the internet, and even schools, are a type of cave.
3. The Song That Sings Us, Nicola Davies.
From the Owl: William, my daughter and I are huge fans of the zoologist, poet and author Nicola Davies and I was so glad that there were books of hers that William could move to after adoring her younger children’s books. It is heart wrenching, but also beautiful and as ever Davies gets us to think differently and how me might live in this world in this epic eco fable. This is a true world-building book as Davies creates a world where some humans have the art of listening to the animals (and how this can be used for good and bad) – and listening is something we all need do better as part of our critical and creative thinking work. There is snowboarding, chases, fights, escapes, Arctic and jungle scenes and a story about the bond between our human siblings and how this might extend further. The message is very clear – we are all one kin and if we can learn to accept these entangled relationships, it will be our salvation. Of Watership Down territory in terms of how special and impactful this book is and the place it should have in literary spaces.
From the Lark: Nicola’s books teach you about animals and animal habitats, biomes and this book made me think about being a good sibling and how to be brave and how to fight for the planet.
4. Alan Turing, Joanna Nadin
From the Owl: William has seen my copy of The Most Human, Human, and asked to read it, but I wanted an interim book to introduce the work of code-cracking hero Alan Turing, which Justin has also been exploring on the course. Super accessible and loads of fun code breaking activities and this whole series gives exciting insights into the lives of key influential figures across the disciplines. This book is also a reminder that books are both created by authors and illustrators and both The Song that Sings Us and this book would not be as wonderful without the artwork from Sarah Papworth for this book and Jackie Morris’ art for Davies’ book.
From the Lark: Justin and my Mum talk a lot about thinking about thinking and the course and this book makes you think about whether a computer can think. Just as we had an escape room at the start of the course, this book is filled with cool code breaker puzzles although no time limit before getting locked out!
5. The Rest Is History, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook
From the Owl: We have literally no Horrible Histories books left to read or purchase. So, what to do for a young child who adores history and knows how important it is to ensure we learn from our past mistakes? The answer is to move on to purchase The Rest Is History and the giggles continue to abound, and the many wild facts and stream of intel continue to furnish your dinner table discussions. A hilarious romp through history and another book that is being shared by us all in the family. History is often described as humanities’ conversation with itself, and this is a great book to get children and adults gripped by that wild conversation that history is and to think about how it has changed and further evolves.
From the Lark: Lots of fun and history is definitely my favourite subject. I like making lists and quizzing my family about monarchs and battles and so I liked the funny questions in the book. I’m going to try out the podcasts too when on long car journeys. In my first CATAYST session Justin asked me why I liked History so much, and I told him that it is because we need to learn from the past if we are going to change things and to know what to change in the first place.
Holland in February 2020
Sandbrook in 2021
We’d also like to add one book of poems to the list: And I Hear Dragons, edited by the life force that is Hanan Issa, and beautifully illustrated by Eric Heyman. This anthology from diverse Welsh writers encourages children to roar! As Issa says of the anthology, we should celebrate children as ferociously brave, ready to take on discrimination, pollution and uphold the Welsh tradition of croesawgar (being welcoming).
Again, a humble offering of books that have encouraged great thinking, great discussions and access to great, and crucially a range of, ideas. The thing about ideas, is that they can so easily become fixed ideologically, and what all these books do is present a range of creative ideas about who we are, what we are and why we are and offer a range of possible pathways through these sorts of questions. In a time when critical and creative thinking is under threat, a truly mixed perspective offered by books and our reading has never been more important and can help us to change the world(s) of tomorrow.
Beth and William x
