Feeding young minds with scientific truth a parent's duty
But one must write from a child's angle. One must know what children understand and explain deeper knowledge in a simple way. It would not be enough to tell them that the Sun consumes hydrogen atoms to give light. It is necessary to explain what hydrogen is and what an atom is. The parent, when reading the books, might need to prepare some descriptions or models in advance, so as to show their child how to divide a molecule into atoms. Popularizing science needs the efforts of both writers and parents, after all.
As a veteran reporter, I have injected that enthusiasm into my job for at least six years, popularizing science in various ways. I majored in information science-which is part of automatics-in university, which has granted me a good sense of science.
Having interviewed various experts in science, health, astronautics, computers and other sectors, I have written about all the related topics. My secret in presenting this information lies in telling the story to my daughter first. Once after she understands everything, I publish her understood version on our platforms.
I have found that among my readers are a high percentage of children and parents. Once, a parent added me to her WeChat contacts. After talking to her, I learned why she follows my account: she has a daughter too and has to answer many questions. After reading my pop science for months, she trusts me and insists on reading each of my publications.
I am fortunate to have such readers, but that trust is more of a responsibility than of an encouragement. The writer must honor his/her credit by providing correct information, and avoid misleading the readers.