Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine (Inventions and Discovery)
This new graphic nonfiction series offers biographical treatments that highlight a technological breakthrough or innovation. Though produced by various illustrators, titles are visually similar: enticing covers, dynamic fonts, bold colors, and vibrant illustrations. Comic book-style word balloons feature fairly sophisticated vocabulary and occasional quotes or other primary source material. Each selection includes titled chapters, a table of contents, summary fact pages, further reading suggestions, and recommended Internet sites. There is close correlation between the dialogue and depicted actions and illustrations, which will provide visual reinforcement for struggling readers. These deceptively slim volumes convey a tremendous amount of information and vocabulary, and should attract attention from reluctant and enthusiastic readers alike. Bibliography. Glossary. Index. Recommended. --Library Media Connection; Vol. 25, No. 7; Pages 83-84, April 2007This story is a nonfiction account of the discovery of the vaccine that prevented the dreaded polio virus. Readers will learn how this discovery had an impact worldwide on the health of various populations. The full-color illustrations make an enormous impact on the story. Vocabulary has been well-selected. This book is an excellent resource that could be used for writing a summary, a book report, or as a source for research. The book is written in graphic form that has always been a favorite of mine. It opens the door to reading for ESL students and reluctant readers, and provides high interest at a lower level. Young adults who want to read anything they can get their hands on will also enjoy the graphic format and fast paced text. The author includes a box on most pages that includes narration giving extra information to the reader to help with comprehension. At the end of the book the author includes two pages set up in a time line manner with further information about the events that led up to the vaccine discovery. The author also includes a Glossary with a pronunciation guide and a list of other books. The web site section gives step-by-step directions about how to use the Fact Hound web site. This web site is particularly good because it is set up to allow the user to select the grade level of information they want. Every time I review one of the books from this series, I never fail to learn something new. I was not aware that a drug company did not follow the exact steps in making the new vaccine, and that over 204 individuals contracted polio from the vaccine. I highly recommend this book that is part of the Graphic Library series. --Childrens Literature Comprehensive Database, July 2007When they saw how Dr. Jonas Salk had been developing a flu vaccine which protected people from many strains of the flu, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP) hired Jonas to study polio, a dreaded disease which handicapped, paralyzed or killed many of its victims. Polio was widespread and it destroyed the lives of many children all over the world. In 1950 the NFIP gave Jonas funding to develop a vaccine for the disease. Jonas was determined that he would use a killed virus to make the vaccine, even though this approach was not popular in the scientific community. After many tests were carried out on both monkeys and on human children, Jonas determined that the vaccine that he and his team had developed did indeed give the children who had received it immunity to polio. In 1954 the vaccine was given to children all over the country in a nationwide study. The results proved that the vaccine worked and soon thousands of children were being vaccinated. There was a frightening setback when some of the children developed polio. Jonas discovered that some of the companies who were making the vaccine where not adhering to the protocols that he had given them. He was furious and the companies in question were watched very carefully after that to make sure that such a mistake was never repeated. Thanks to the hard work of Jonas Salk and his colleagues, children and their parents in much of the world no longer have to live in fear of polio. Once again children can play in pools and go to theatres in the summer, and never again will hospitals be filled with children who need iron lungs to breath for them. Readers of this graphic rich biography will quickly come to understand that Jonas Salk was a man who believed very strongly in what he was doing, going the extra mile to make sure that his work helped people and freely giving away his discoveries for the good of all. --Through the Looking Glass Childrens Book Review, February 2007