News & Media

Think Big: The Power of Volcanoes

COMET Scientists, Professor Tamsin Mather and Professor David Pyle (University of Oxford) have teamed up with illustrator Daniel Long and publishers Nosy Crow to produce the book ‘Think Big: The Power of Volcanoes’, aimed at 7- to 11-year-olds.

Tamsin said ‘I have always wanted to write a book about volcanoes for younger readers as I think they are such an exciting way to explore thinking more deeply about our and other planets. I think that the best science books for this age group are all about combining words and pictures to tell a scientific story. Daniel’s illustrations are utterly beautiful, capture the science and are really fun to look at too. I love the way he has drawn from old pictures of eruptions as well as lots and lots recent photos of volcanoes. It was fantastic to watch him develop his illustrations around our words!’

David said ‘This was a very rewarding project – starting with the challenge of distilling our technical understanding of “how volcanoes work” into precise but accessible language for the readers. The visuals really make the book come to life. I particularly like Daniel’s images of different rocks in hand-specimen!’

The book published today will be launched with a morning of talks and activities at Oxford’s Natural History Museum this coming Saturday 6th June 2026.

Details of this Saturday’s events in Oxford are here: https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/event/the-power-of-volcanoes

More details and now to buy the book here: https://nosycrow.com/book/university-of-cambridge-think-big-the-power-of-volcanoes/?srsltid=AfmBOor-84koYz_4_EOUWUU6KR9WXleqgK-c1r9FARDJlTSElaLpKg5J