Thank You, Dr. Salk!: The Scientist Who Beat Polio and Healed the World

by Dean Robbins, Mike Dutton (Illustrator)

Overview

Dr. Jonas Salk finds the cure for polio in this inspiring, educational, and timely nonfiction picture book.

Jonas Salk wasn't seen as a brave hero—not at first. As a child he was quiet and unassuming, but Jonas dreamed of tikkun olam, the Jewish phrase for “healing the world.” He saw the polio virus strike his city, and he knew that with determination and hard work, he could be the one to stop its spread. So he grew up to study medicine, ultimately creating the polio vaccine that saved untold numbers of lives—and healed the world!

With Dean Robbins’s inspiring text and Mike Dutton’s dynamic illustrations, Thank You, Dr. Salk! is a true and timely story of trials, triumph, and what it takes to achieve your dreams. An author’s note provides additional insight into Dr. Salk’s life and influences, and the history of vaccines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374313913
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	261,267
Product dimensions:	9.39(w) x 11.27(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dean Robbins is a journalist and children’s book author. His picture books include Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass; Miss Paul and the President: The Creative Campaign for Women’s Right to Vote; Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing; and The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his family.

Mike Dutton is the illustrator of Food Truck Fest, written by Alexandra Penfold. He has also drawn more than two hundred Google Doodles, including one of Dr. Jonas Salk. He created the illustrations for Thank You, Dr. Salk!: The Scientist Who Beat Polio and Healed the World, while sheltering in place during the Covid-19 pandemic and is currently writing a two-hundred-foot-long thank-you letter to the inventor of the vaccine.

Editorial Reviews

A National Science Teaching Association's Best STEM Book of the Year

“A hardworking title, this is a great choice for allaying vaccination fears, communicating the importance of science and medicine, showing that heroes come in many forms, and explaining that education, creativity, resilience, and dedication can lead to achievements and concrete results. An engaging blend of history, biography, science, and epidemiology that is sure to inspire and inform.” —Booklist

“Robbins’ biography is particularly timely within the context of the coronavirus epidemic, and his direct, streamlined account connects well with early primary listeners, who may take some comfort in knowing that science has managed to get other epidemics under control.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Thank You, Dr. Salk is as timely as a book can be and will offer an easy entry to discussions of epidemics, scientific research, vaccines, and working together as a community . . . This is a true story that will help kids think deeply about the past, make connections to the present, and inspire hope for the future.” —The Sydney Taylor Schmooze

From the Publisher

2021-05-05
An unconventional hero puts his skills to work.

Clear, straightforward text and bright, appealing pictures featuring a multiracial cast tell the story of Jonas Salk, Jewish American creator of the polio vaccine, in this timely selection. From childhood, young Jonas saw the effects of polio, and, inspired by the Jewish concept of tikkun olam—translated here as “healing the world”—he set out to make a difference by extensive study and experimentation, even testing his vaccine on himself and his family prior to releasing it to the general population without ever selling it or claiming ownership. Children will easily draw a parallel to Covid-19 and so will be interested in the history as well as the mechanics of vaccines. They may be surprised to see that participating in a vaccination program can inspire pride and a feeling of accomplishment (Salk’s vaccine was initially provided to American first, second, and third graders in a pioneering clinical trial) and be comforted by evidence that an epidemic can be addressed and controlled. A hardworking title, this is a great choice for allaying vaccination fears, communicating the importance of science and medicine, showing that heroes come in many forms, and explaining that education, creativity, resilience, and dedication can lead to achievements and concrete results.

An engaging blend of history, biography, science, and epidemiology that is sure to inspire and inform. (author's note, timeline, resources) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews