By Lihi Lustgarten
It was 3:00 AM.
My head was pounding, my eyes begging to be closed. I couldn’t. I was glued to my laptop screen.
I had stumbled across a video about quantum computers a few hours earlier, and since had gone down a rabbit hole learning about atoms, electrons, and superposition.
Quantum physics is the study of the tiniest things in the universe: atoms and the particles that make them up. You would think that the very building blocks of everything we know would follow the same laws of physics that we see every day. Yet, matter on the quantum scale acts in a completely different and counterintuitive way. And that’s what makes it so interesting.
After that late night, I continued learning about quantum physics through videos, research papers, and online courses. One Saturday morning, I was experimenting with a quantum tunneling animation when I felt my younger cousin looming over my shoulder.
“What’s that?” She asked curiously, watching as a shaky, bright red wave moved across my screen.
I stared at her blankly. How am I supposed to explain quantum physics to a 6-year-old?! After a few awkward “umms” and “errs”, I gave up on my attempt at stalling and ripped out a blank piece of paper from my notebook.
“You see this eraser?” I held it up in front of her. “Well, if you were to zoom in really really really close, you would see that it’s made up of tiny houses called atoms.”
I drew a small circle with a door and a few windows. “Inside of every atom lives a family of creatures called protons, neutrons, and electrons.” I filled the page with small, round characters.
We spent the next hour drawing little families of particles living in atoms, as I explained to her more about the wonders of this new world she had discovered. She didn’t realize it, but she was learning some of the most complicated scientific concepts with glittery pens and scented markers.
For the rest of the day, she repeatedly tried to summon electrons out of random items so she could talk to them. I had to break it to her that it’s impossible to see an electron with your bare eyes and that, unfortunately, they aren’t alive… But that didn’t seem to stop her from deciding that one of the electrons in her hair clip is her new pet named Mimi.
It was after this that I realized how important it is to make science fun and accessible to young kids. Hard science topics didn’t have to feel intimidating or out of reach. On the contrary, the complexity of science is what makes it interesting, and through storytelling, creative characters, and a little bit of imagination, it becomes something kids can play with, ask questions about, and connect to.
That’s what inspired me to write and illustrate my children’s book, ‘Little Things: An Adventure Into the World of Atoms’. I wanted learning about quantum physics to feel like an exciting quest, not a mind-numbing lecture. Something that would make a six-year-old feel like they’ve just uncovered the biggest secret of the universe.
Creating the book –unsurprisingly– became an adventure in itself. I spent months researching, writing (then rewriting), and sketching. I wanted to make sure that my book not only taught real scientific concepts but did so in a way that would be meaningful to my intended audience. More than anything, I wanted young readers to walk away seeing the world around them differently.
In the story, Lola, a young girl who is at first jealous of her classmate’s much cooler pencil, discovers that her “boring” pencil is actually made of atoms with vibrant creatures living inside. Guided by Enid, a lively electron, she explores the tiny hidden world within her pencil, realizing that nothing is ever truly boring if you look close enough!
What started as a late night watching grainy quantum physics lectures on my laptop, turned into a full blown adventure. All it takes is one little spark of curiosity, a small question, a tiny moment of seeing things differently.
It turns out, little things can spark something much bigger.
Lihi Lustgarten is a 17-year-old science lover who believes that little things deserve big wonder! When not creating, she enjoys reading mystery novels, playing with her dog, and learning about quantum physics. You can buy a copy of ‘Little Things: An Adventure Into The World of Atoms’, and follow her account on Instagram.
