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VOYA
This is a multi-book review of two volumes in the "Scientists Who Made History" series. Each book in this series follows the same format. The scientist's life, contributions, and legacy are related chronologically. Short chapters are divided into two-page subsections that cover information in one double-page spread, whether a description of Curie's curiosity about the newly discovered X-rays or Galileo's 1633 trial in Rome. This layout makes it easy for readers to find and use information but also seems to artificially condense important topics. The wide range of colorful and compelling visual materials in these books proves to be one of their greatest strengths. Gogerly makes good use of archival photographs and etchings to create a record of Curie's family, working conditions, and world. Goldsmith's portrait of Galileo is even more diverse. He includes Renaissance representations of the controversial scientist, modern photographs of Pisa and other sites important to Galileo, and recent pictures of the solar system made possible only through Galileo's work with telescopes and astronomy. Both volumes have their quirks, some of which are related to the series' design. For example, the In Their Own Words feature boxes a relevant quotation beside a small drawing of the profiled scientist, but the actual quotation might not be from the scientist whose picture is shown. Instead, it often is attributed to a friend or family member. Although the source is labeled, the design of this feature is confusing. Other oddities are specific to each volume. Goldsmith's biography of Galileo, although factually accurate, at times displays overt hostility toward the Catholic Church. For example, he ends thebook by saying; "Finally, 350 years after Galileo's death, his theories were publicly accepted by Pope John II, in 1992. There was no apology." Overall, these texts are sound but somewhat stolid and do little to enhance the state of nonfiction for younger readers. Although chock full of information, Goldsmith's portrait of Galileo pales when compared to Peter Sis's biography Starry Messenger (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1996). Nonetheless, these texts will be useful to fourth- to sixth-grade students and helpful to less accomplished readers in the seventh through ninth grades. Additional books in the eight-volume series cover Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, and Louis Pasteur. Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Further Reading. Chronology. VOYA CODES: 3Q 2P M (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2001, Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 48p. PLB— Megan Isaac