The Color of the Word an İnterview with Chris Ferrie, Söyleşi, Şevval BAŞTAN

Have you ever thought about teaching your baby quantum physics or artificial intelligence

technologies? Dr. Chris Ferrie, a theoretical physics lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney, explains complex scientific topics in a way that babies can understand through his Baby University book series. Ferrie breaks down complicated fields like quantum physics, artificial intelligence, and astrophysics into simple and fun language, targeting not only children but also parents who may feel distant from science. Advocating that science can be learned at any age, Ferrie makes science accessible for both babies and their families through the Baby University series.

To what extent do you care about their perception of the world when writing for babies and children? Which pedagogical principles do you rely on?

Young children, especially infants and toddlers, have limited attention spans. High-contrast images and quick page turns help maintain a child's focus by providing frequent changes in visual stimuli, which are more likely to keep them engaged. This is reinforced by the fact that infants are only just developing visual acuity and the ability to focus on different shapes and patterns.

Did you analyze the book market when starting this process? Was Baby University a risk for you and your publisher?

I initially self-published the first few books and was approached by Sourcebooks. The market is quite saturated now, so books are only added if there is sufficient interest in the market. The publisher carries out this research. Of course, I'd love to write and publish a book on every topic!

How do your books in the 'Baby University' series impact parents? Are the parents of your little readers geeks or nerds?

Yes, I've captured most of the "nerdy" parent market! However, most of the messages I get are from parents telling me that the books helped them understand topics they were afraid of or intimidated by when they were younger.

As popular visual language is rapidly changing and strengthening through digital channels such as television, computers, tablets, or mobile phones, can picture books remain relevant in the face of these changes?

I sure hope so! I try my best to make my writing engaging while maintaining truth and utility.

How do you keep children's interests alive during the process of explaining scientific concepts to them? What strategies do you recommend to prevent their interest in science from atrophying over time?

Act excited, ask questions, and don't worry about getting it correct. When practicing science, we get it wrong way more often than not. Science is a process of creating wild ideas and testing them until you land on one that's hard to falsify.

You pioneered a new way of explaining science to babies. Following this style, Chase Roberts' "Computer Engineering for Babies" seems to have added a new dimension to books

with tactile and interactive designs. How do you evaluate these approaches and do you plan to use these innovations in your books?

I think it's great! However, it's hard to scale. Creating such books is extremely expensive and a difficult proposition for traditional publishers.

Baby University is in the non-fiction thematic book category. Do you plan to include some fiction for older children in the future?

Next year, The Curiosity Chronicles will be released, which is a "pick your own adventure" book blending real science with a fictional narrative. I'm very excited to see how early readers respond to it!

Do you have any concerns about changes in scientific language and original tone when Baby University and your other books are translated into other languages?

Everyone involved is professional and has the same goals. If I cannot trust this process, I likely wouldn't trust anyone!