The Element in the Room
By (Author) Mike Barfield
Illustrated by Lauren Humphrey
Hachette Children's Group
Laurence King Publishing
14th October 2025
United Kingdom
Primary and Secondary Educational
Non Fiction
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Science and technology
Paperback
64
Width 225mm, Height 290mm
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS 2019-BEST BOOK WITH FACTS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY YOUNG PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE 2019.
LONGLISTED FOR THE UKLA BOOK AWARDS 2020
Did you know that without the 'lead' in your pencil, there would be no life on Earth Just about everything in the universe is made from only 92 elements-and from aluminum to zinc, many of them are hiding in your very own home!
Packed with Lauren Humphrey's quirky illustrations and written by the multi-talented Mike Barfield, this unique introduction to the elements in the periodic table will excite all young readers as they help Sherlock Ohms solve the mystery of how absolutely everything came to exist!
Starting with the Big Bang, The Element in the Room looks at every element in close detail and includes fun comic-strips to tell the stories of key scientific discoveries throughout history.
Mike Barfield (Author)
Mike Barfield is a best-selling children's author, cartoonist, poet and performer with books in well over a dozen different languages. He has a first-class degree in Biology from the University of London, and won the Blue Peter Book Awards 2021 for the Best Book with Facts.
Lauren Humphrey (Illustrator)
Lauren Humphrey is an illustrator with 10 years' experience, based in London, UK. Lauren loves working with bright colors, bold shapes, and is often inspired by plants, animals, and anatomy. She enjoys drawing characters and objects with unique proportions and perspectives. Her experience ranges from illustrating children's informative picture books to designing puppets, sets, and props for animation series.