What Do People Do at the Science Museum – written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Qin Leng
Chronicle Books, 2026
Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Qin Leng’s picture book introduction to science museums is outstanding. There are many informative and nicely illustrated books on the subject, and at least one gentle parody worthy of the fiction of Borges (Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum). What Do People Do at the Science Museum, as the title indicates, answers more than questions about dinosaurs, or other specific exhibits. Covering the artifacts displayed, the scientists or study them, the specific museum professionals who select and them and design the exhibits, the book is truly comprehensive, as well as entertaining.
The first page identifies the purpose of a science and natural history museum. “It’s a good place for curious people to ask questions and learn.” Children, by definition, are curious, and adults who need to recapture the sense of wonder that children feel will be enthralled by this book. Qin Leng’s inimitable style (see my reviews of other books here and here and here and here) is perfect for capturing both careful details and human responses to experiences. The opening picture depicts a monumental building, inspiring awe at the prospect of entering, but also people in groups, pairs, and alone climbing steps in happy anticipation.
Every page is carefully composed; the abundance of information never becomes overwhelming because it is artfully integrated. There are text boxes of different sizes, word balloons, and multiple spheres of activity. Before even venturing into the exhibits themselves, visitors, and readers, learn that structural engineers design museums to be best adapted to their purpose. A small text box presents a simple triangle as one basic unit of engineering. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the page, a docent speaking to a school group uses the friendly analogy of building blocks to familiarize the student with the process of construction.
Maggie Tokuda-Hall is in tune with the way in which children think and express themselves, without using a patronizing tone see another example here). A child indicates an interest in giraffes; why are their necks so long? A curator matches her enthusiasm with the response, “Brilliant! An exhibition about EVOLUTION would be marvelous.” “Marvelous” is used here in both its literal and figurative sense, since museums are intended to provoke marvel and, at the same time, demystify science. Those exciting dioramas need to be both accurate and appealing. Perhaps children have not connected the element of design to the presentation of different concepts, but they will learn here how to associate their own artistic projects with those on view.
Several kinds of science make appearances: geology, mineralogy, seismology, paleontology, and more. Each discipline is viewed individually and as part of a whole, crediting children with the ability to distinguish even subgroups within areas of study. Looking at a scene of paleontologists absorbed in their task of examining a dinosaur skeleton, readers will also be introduced to the crucial distinctions between invertebrate paleontologists, micropaleontologists, and paleobotanists. When an author and illustrator operate from the assumption that children have both the interest and attention span to learn at this level, the result is this incredible foray into STEAM literacy.
n a busy lab with hands-on projects, children question the staff and are enabled to refine their knowledge of seemingly familiar subjects. No, dinosaurs do not arrive at the museum fully assembled. Assembling isolated parts may take many years, and collections managers engage in the crucial, ongoing, task of organizing acquisitions and ensuring they are kept in the right place. Leng’s children and adults are different in age, size, and experience, but they also share, on a visual level, the same space and the same dedication to knowledge.
Tokuda-Hall and Leng have written, drawn, engineered, and curated an amazing museum in book form. Like an actual museum, visitors will want to return.
