Children - Science & Technology, Children - Biography

Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius

Name: Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius
Author: Elizabeth MacLeod
ISBN: 9781553373971

by Elizabeth MacLeod

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Overview

Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant scientists who ever lived. The theories that he formulated about time, light and gravity have changed how we look at the world, and resulted in many new inventions. But did you know that he was so absent-minded that he once forgot where he lived? Or that, even though he was an advocate of world peace, his work led to the creation of the atom bomb? Using photographs, maps, quotes, letters and drawings, this biography in the Snapshots: Images of People and Places in History series introduces young readers to Albert Einstein. Also included are a timeline of his life and a list of places to visit to learn more about one of history's greatest thinkers.

Synopsis

This book in the Snapshots: Images of People and Places in History series introduces the greatest scientist of the 20th century.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-This biography of the 20th-century visionary is packed with information. Fifteen chapter spreads present a page of text opposite a page reserved for auxiliary information. Throughout, Einstein himself appears, in cartoon form, offering comments such as, "Sure, science is serious, but you can't be serious all the time." Some personal details are mentioned, but are not dwelled upon. Difficult times, such as fleeing Nazi Germany for America, are given more space. His concern about humanity is made clear. In addition to the cartoons, the book includes black-and-white archival photographs, large-print quotes, maps, drawings, and reproductions of pages of Einstein's writing and of newspaper headlines, often assembled in a collage. After reading this brief book, students will have greater insight into what made Einstein one of the greatest thinkers of all times.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Elizabeth MacLeod

Elizabeth MacLeod has written many children's books, including nine titles in the Snapshots Biography series; numerous titles in the Kids Can Read, Kids Books Of and Kids Can Do It series; Why Do Horses Have Manes?; What Did Dinosaurs Eat?; and Monster Fliers. She lives in Toronto.

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Editorials

Quill and Quire

MacLeod’s text is lively and direct, and she has a knack for making challenging terms like “theoretical physicist” and “electromagnetism” seem like child’s play.

Booklist

This introduction to the life of Einstein is as informative as it is appealing.

Science Books and Films

[This book provides a wonderful glimpse into the genius and charm of the beloved scientist, Albert Einstein. This is a story suitable for a wide range of student readers that illuminates not only biographical data about his life, but reveals to the reader the human side of this venerable icon of scientific knowledge.

School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

MacLeod (Lucy Maud Montgomery, 2001, etc.) covers a lot of ground in this brief biography of Albert Einstein: school, early career in a Swiss patent office, early days as a professor in Bern, becoming friends with Marie Curie, choosing work over family, WWII and the move to Princeton, New Jersey, and the post-war years as a citizen of the world. Einstein's General Theory of Relativity is described as "the first really new thing about the force of gravity since Newton's original ideas 250 years earlier," and the author does an excellent job of describing the theory for a young audience. Einstein's legacy is explained in clear, specific terms: the discovery of pulsars and black holes, the big bang theory, and the development of nuclear power, radiation therapy, lasers, fluorescent lights, and automatic doors. Beyond its exposition of Einstein's work, this is an ode to hard work, imagination, and creative thinking. Included are the difficult moral decisions of Einstein's life, especially the letter he wrote to FDR that led to the Manhattan project, which Einstein later called "the greatest mistake of my life." The lively mix of text, sidebars, photographs, newspaper excerpts, equations, and Einstein's handwritten notes adds up to a format inviting browsing and offering much information to closer readers. A cartoon of Albert on each spread presents additional information in speech bubbles and adds a touch of levity to what could have been a heavy text. Though no bibliography is included, John B. Severance's Einstein: Visionary Scientist would make a good companion. A useful addition to collections for young readers. (timeline, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)