Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 06 Aug 2026

A Symphony of Sound: The Science Behind What We Hear by Trevor Cox and Sophie Escavy Lim

Do you have a youngster in the household who’s becoming interested in all things scientific? Or maybe you’re trying to bolster the confidence of someone who finds the idea of science a bit daunting? Either way, don’t despair: take them off to your local bookshop and you’ll almost certainly find something that will grab their interest and allay their fears.

It has to be said that in recent years we’ve seen a blossoming of really excellent books on science aimed at younger readers. Forget grim equations, impenetrable theories and the pervasive smell of the laboratory: these books are accessible, colourful and – dare I say it – entertaining. A Symphony of Sound: The Science Behind What We Hear by Trevor Cox and Sophie Escavy Lim is another excellent addition to what you can find on the shelves of the modern day bookshop and it’s going to provide as much pleasure to the adult as it will to the youngster it’s marketed towards.

It’s been produced in generous dimensions – 23.5 x 4 x 30 cm – and all of the 64 pages are copiously illustrated. Try thinking of a topic relating to the issue of sound and its characteristics, manifestations or impact and you’ll find a double-page spread dedicated to it. As you might expect, the starting point is the human ear and from there we move on to speed, volume, speech, singing and we’re soon flying off at interesting tangents to explore animal sounds, sound in space, noise pollution, sounds we can’t here but animals can and…..silence. By the end, we’re also considering the future of sound and how medicine has responded to the interface between the human and our need for sound.

The only question that this book doesn’t answer is that of the age-old philosophical conundrum: if a tree falls in the forest and there’s no-one there to hear it, does it make a sound?

I’d say this is a must for school libraries everywhere. Published by Big Picture Press, you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will, of course, be happy to order you a copy if they don’t have it on the shelf.

 

Terry Potter

August 2026