Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities (For Kids series)
Grade 5-9–Presented chronologically and always in a positive light, the inventor's life is described in considerable detail. Being the workaholic that he was, it's understandable that there's little mention of his personal life once he moves out of his teens. Enough detail is given about his childhood that one senses the single-mindedness that drove his genius. However, with so much emphasis on Edison's many inventions and projects, one can easily get bogged down. Photographs, frequent diagrams, and sidebars add interesting insights. Short biographies of his peers, both friends and foes, are included. The activities tend to have text-heavy instructions and lack detailed diagrams. The explanation of atoms and their charges in Make an Electrically Charged Puppet Dance is inaccurate. Also, some of the activities become repetitious, particularly those showing the persistence of vision phenomenon used to achieve motion photography. Sources for science experiments, lists of related museums, and Web sites are appended. For Edison enthusiasts and invention fans, this book is a serviceable addition. Most libraries that own Brian Williams'sThomas Alva Edison(Heinemann Library, 2001) or Marfe Ferguson Delano'sInventing the Future(National Geographic, 2002) don't need it.–Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.