Gordon William Gavin Penrose
CM (July 24, 1925 – December 16, 1997), nicknamed the ''Zany Dr. Zed'', was a Canadian scientist, educator, and author of children's
science book
A science book is a work of nonfiction, usually written by a scientist, researcher, or professor like Stephen Hawking (''A Brief History of Time''), or sometimes by a non-scientist such as Bill Bryson ('' A Short History of Nearly Everything''). ...
s.
His works have been featured in
OWL magazine and
ChickaDEE magazine, and he played the role of Dr. Zed for the children's television show ''
OWL/TV
OWL/TV is a Television in Canada, Canadian children's educational television series that aired on CBC Television, CBC, from 1985 to 1990, and then later on CTV Television Network, CTV, from 1990 to 1994. It focused on nature and science discover ...
''.
Penrose's philosophy was based on interactive science experiments on the belief that children learn best by doing. Consequently, his books describe experiments that require as little adult supervision as possible.
Penrose's audience is eight- to twelve-year-olds, who are in
Piaget's "concrete operations" stage, where abstract thinking about hypotheticals is not yet fully developed.
He died on December 16, 1997, at the age of 72.
Bibliography
* Dr. Zed's Brilliant Book of Science Experiments (juvenile), illustrations by Linda Bucholtz-Ross, Greey de Pencier Publications, 1977.
* Dr. Zed's Zany Brilliant Book of Science Experiments, 1978.
* Dr. Zed's Dazzling Book of Science Activities (juvenile), Greey de Pencier Publications, 1982.
* Magic Mud and Other Great Experiments (juvenile), illustrations by Tina Holdcroft, Greey de Pencier Publications, 1987.
* Dr. Zed's Science Surprises (juvenile), Simon & Schuster (New York), 1989.
* Sensational Science Activities with Dr. Zed (juvenile), Simon & Schuster (New York), 1990.
* More Science Surprises from Dr. Zed (juvenile), Simon & Schuster (New York), 1992.
* Science Fun: Hands-on Science with Dr. Zed, 1998.
References
External links
OWL Magazine and Dr. Zed Memories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penrose, Gordon
1925 births
1997 deaths
Canadian science writers