I am Albert Einstein

July 15, 2014
The brilliant 20th-century scientist exhorts readers to keep asking questions.Meltzer presents Einstein from birth through childhood and adulthood as one who always thought carefully before speaking and loved his head of hair. Apparently, one of the white-haired, mustachioed tot's first sentences was: "My hair is so AWESOME!" As a young boy, he decides to figure out "Why did the universe behave the way it did?" From there, it is a fast trip to playing the violin, studying math and the famous equation E=mc2, which is not well-explained in the text. Of far greater importance is the exhortation that readers should value curiosity, difference and learning-all of which could lead to inspiration. There is no backmatter and no sourcing for a concluding quotation, but two pages of photographs are credited. The author provides no additional biographical information about Einstein's incredibly multifaceted life. Eliopoulos' digitally rendered cartoon illustrations are caricature more than representation. As in previous titles in the series, Einstein has a large, round head; his is adorned with the scientist's signature mop of white hair and full mustache from birth. It is an oxymoron to include his life in a series about "ordinary people."Another pointless entry in a series intended to inspire more than inform. (Picture book. 3-6)

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June 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-In this simplistic, "feel good" book about Albert Einstein, the scientist relates the story of his life in first-person narration. Meltzer emphasizes the theme of curiosity in a heavy-handed way, reminiscent of the old "Valuetales" series (Value Communications). Children will enjoy the comic-book-like illustrations that always depict Einstein as a small figure with an oversize head, tiny body, and mustache and mop of white hair-even as a child (meanwhile, grown-up Einstein is dwarfed by other adult characters). However, because of the lack of explanatory information and background material, the book fails to live up to expectations for biographical nonfiction. Readers will come away without a firm grounding in who Einstein was or what he accomplished. Helpful supplements such as an author's note, time line, resources, or recommended reading are also missing. Though this title may have some entertainment value, adults should be on hand to explain how much is fictionalized. For a picture-book biography of Einstein that truly succeeds, try Jennifer Berne's On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein (Chronicle, 2013), a superbly written work that features dreamy watercolors and emphasizes the scientist's creativity and wonder. For those seeking a more traditional biography, Dana Meachen Rau's easy reader Albert Einstein (Compass Point, 2003) is a better alternative to Meltzer's effort.-Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Grades 1-3 In this brief biography for young children, Meltzer traces the life of one of the greatest of all scientists. Stressing both curiosity and independence, Albert says I did things my own way. From an early age he liked playing alone and thinking, and he began to question why the universe behaves as it does. Expressing a love for the logical structure of math and physics, he builds a 14-story high house of cards, balances an incredible construction out of blocks, and soon quickly surpasses his contemporaries and teachers in intellect. Readers will be interested to learn despite being a supersmart genius, Albert didn't always get good grades. In later life he is shown receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics for his theory of relativity. Cartoon illustrations depict Albert's iconic mop of awesome hair starting with a baby tuft but morphing into a full head of fluff even as a toddler and on into old age. The drawings are always comical and the text is both humorous and informative. At the conclusion, actual photographs of Einstein flesh out the cartoons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)