Illustration: The periodic table adorably personified by Bunpei Yorifuji

I wish this book had been around when I was studying chemistry at school, which I decided to take on the premise that it might be a bit like potion making or cooking. Needless to say, I wasn’t very good, and spent most of my time marveling at how similar the elements seemed to be to humans. I just about passed by concocting stories about why oxygen and hydrogen got on so well, and why lithium and bromine so venomously hated each other.

Bunpei Yorifuji’s illustrated book, Wonderful Life with the Elements, takes my storytelling one step further, and personifies the periodic table in rich detail. His adorable drawings transform the elements into little, lovable superhero-like characters. Who knows, if I’d had Bunpei’s book, I might just have got top marks.