George Washington Carver

September 1, 2003
Gr 2-3-The life and work of each scientist has been condensed into a 32-page, large-print text outlining the briefest of facts and scientific principles. Eight chapters of one to three pages sketchily recount childhood, early schooling, and the scientific experiments and theories both men pioneered. Numerous black-and-white photos, as well as some in color featuring relevant locations, are reproduced in almost full-page prints, but do not always complement the adjacent text. In Einstein, one of the Web addresses is incorrect and too complicated to type in. It will take several tries to shorten it and get onto a British gateway link first and then navigate through it to find the information. While there is little available on this level for Einstein, Aliki's A Weed Is a Flower (Turtleback, 1965) and David A. Adler's A Picture Book of George Washington Carver (Holiday, 1999) are better choices for Carver.-Rita Soltan, Oakland University, Rochester, MI

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2004
These brief, superficial biographies don't have much to offer independent readers beyond the barest of facts. The choppy text could have been better edited, and the stock photographs are often poorly placed in relation to the text. The glossary often uses a word to define itself (e.g., "colony": "a settlement. A person who lives there is a colonist"). Timeline, websites. Ind. [Review covers these Buddy Books: First Biographies titles: "Albert Einstein, George Washington Carver, Sally Ride, Thomas Edison, " and "Thomas Jefferson". ]

(Copyright 2004 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)