Alexander Graham Bell

Children's Literature

Alexander Graham Bell had an Alexander Graham Bell and this book highlights it. From an introductory chapter that underscores what is arguably Bell's greatest achievement—the invention of the telephone—through a total of eight chapters that discuss the key points in Bell's life, the author provides a text that is very young-reader friendly. Beginning with Bell's ability to invent at an early age (with the enthusiastic support of his parents), through his early career and eventual marriage and into the prime of his life, this book provides a very positive and personal portrait of Bell as both inventor and as humanitarian, especially in connection with the deaf community. A final interview with contemporary entrepreneur Bill Gates on the importance of Bell's work and his influence on contemporary society completes the narrative course of the text. The photographs found throughout the book and the time line of Bell's life help support young readers' understanding of the great inventor and his influence on generations of people. A solid read for younger readers. 2006, Gareth Steven Publishing, Ages 7 to 9.
—Jean Boreen, Ph.D.

Kirkus Reviews

This attractively designed, if routine, biography of Bell combines period photos on each page with a simply phrased account that notes the inventor's lifelong interest in working with deaf people along with his development of the telephone, several other sound-related devices and even an airplane. Side boxes look at the Industrial Revolution, the Centennial Exhibition and similar contemporary topics, and the author closes with both a timeline and a three-question interview with Bill Gates. As this does convey a sense of what the man was like, as well as an overview of his accomplishments and importance, it will be a useful addition to the array of assignment-fodder bios already on the shelf-despite minor errors (no, Bell did not coin the term "greenhouse effect") and the lack of either source citations or resources for further study. (Nonfiction. 8-10)