It's a Snap!: George Eastman's First Photo

George realized that not many people could own a camera — they were too expensive and the size of today’s microwave ovens! But how could he make picture-taking easier? Eventually, George created dry plates, and they were such a success that he opened his own dry-plate company in 1881. But this was only the beginning — George went on to invent film and the Brownie camera. The rest is history.

Monica Kulling’s spunky, playful text is beautifully complemented by the stunning pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations of artist Bill Slavin. It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photo introduces a new series for Tundra — the Great Idea Series — a must-have for schools, libraries, and parents alike.

In 1877 in Rochester, New York, George Eastman couldn’t understand why picture-taking was so difficult. Having left school at fourteen to support his mother and two sisters, George decided to find out by making photography his hobby. He packed up glass plates, a plate holder, a tent, a heavy tripod, a thick piece of black cloth, a water jug, and chemicals and set off to take his first photograph.

George realized that not many people could own a camera — they were too expensive and the size of today’s microwave ovens! But how could he make picture-taking easier? Eventually, George created dry plates, and they were such a success that he opened his own dry-plate company in 1881. But this was only the beginning — George went on to invent film and the Brownie camera. The rest is history.

Monica Kulling’s spunky, playful text is beautifully complemented by the stunning pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations of artist Bill Slavin. It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photo introduces a new series for Tundra — the Great Idea Series — a must-have for schools, libraries, and parents alike.

Children's Literature

Eastman believed that taking pictures should be much simpler than it was when he took his first photograph in 1877. In this picture book biography, Kulling captures the spirit and fortitude of the man who made photography simple enough for even a child to take a picture, and who took the world by storm with his easy-to-use cameras and film. Readers will learn about the invention of film for cameras (something most children are unfamiliar with these days), the creation of the Eastman Kodak Company, and Eastman's philanthropy. The book reads well. The humor in both the text and watercolor illustrations will appeal to young readers. There are sepia-toned illustrations that look like old photographs as well as the full-color illustrations that depict the time period. One sepia drawing depicts Eastman's first known photograph. I consulted an expert from the George Eastman House and learned there are some factual errors in this book. While he did mix chemicals in his mother's kitchen he did not bake "the plates in his mother's oven" as stated by Kulling. There is also some license taken where Eastman is depicted tossing the dry plates into a waste basket in the living room with one hand while holding film in the other. Readers get a lovely bird's-eye view of the conservatory in the Eastman mansion where they can see George and his mother enjoying breakfast and organ music. Unfortunately, the elephant head that can be seen on the wall was not there during Mrs. Eastman's lifetime. The last page gives the reader some tips on taking photographs. Kulling does not list sources for this biography. Despite the errors, this is a good introduction to this inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. Itis an engaging look at the evolution of cameras and photography from cumbersome and time-consuming wet plates to film. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo

Monica Kulling was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She received a BA in creative writing from the University of Victoria. Monica Kulling has published twenty-six fiction and nonfiction books for children, including picture books, poetry, and biographies. She is best known for introducing biography to children just learning to read and has written about Harriet Tubman, Houdini, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Amelia Earhart among others. Monica Kulling lives in Toronto, Canada.

Bill Slavin has illustrated over seventy books for children, including The Big Book of Canada by Christopher Moore. He has won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award, the Blue Spruce Award, and the Zena Sutherland Award for Children’s Literature, among many others. Bill Slavin lives in Millbrook, Ontario.