Chemistry teachers the world over face a constant battle to open the eyes of students to the joys of the science. They may have the advantage of flames and explosions to capture their classes' imaginations, but the deluge of concepts, terminology and arcane facts can be so abstract as to frighten young pre-frontal cortexes.
In Wonderful Life with the Elements, Japanese artist Bunpei Yorifuji has done all chemistry lovers an enormous service: he has taken the abstract, elemental world and given it a face. Even more: he has given each element its own face, body type, outfit, hairstyle and personality. (Keep in mind, there are currently 118 elements on the periodic table.) In addition, Wonderful Life is littered with little anecdotes and further illustrations that open a window onto Yorifuji's own personality. Take, for instance, the opening story of how a younger, over-eager Yorifuji inhaled a great deal of helium in an effort to "make some really funky noises" and instead discovered that in large quantities helium can cause suffocation. "Helium is dangerous in more than one way," he reflects. "The first is that it suffocates you, and the second is that even if you call for help, your cries will probably be dismissed as a bad practical joke."
The astonishing attention to scientific details demonstrate a sophisticated grasp of the concepts and some serious artistic chops, but the real joy lies in Yorifuji's infectious, playful enthusiasm--bound to draw in even the most entrenched science-phobes. --Katherine Montgomery, book nerd and high school chemistry teacher