Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities (For Kids series)

Features

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Cover Type: Paperback with 160 pages
• Published by: Chicago Review Press February 1, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1556525842
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1556525841
• Book Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

From School Library Journal
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's Thomas Alva Edison (Heinemann Library, 2001) or Marfe Ferguson Delano's Inventing the Future (National Geographic, 2002) don't need it.–Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. Carlson combines, with some success, a lively biography of one of the most creative and inventive minds in history with 21 activity pages that students can use to replicate some of the simplest of Edison's experiments. Edison, mostly deaf and thought to be a slow learner as a child, never stopped investigating. He tended to ignore his first wife and their children and didn't do much better with his second set, but he brought the world the phonograph, incandescent electric light, the storage battery, the moving-picture projector--and an electric pen now used in tattooing. He also pretty much created the Skunk Works labratory model that Apple, Microsoft, and many other think tanks use today. A handful of sidebars about Henry Ford, Nikola Tesla, and others whose lives and work intersected with Edison's, and black-and-white illustrations, many of them period, contribute texture. An extensive list of resources adds value. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
Laurie Carlson has done it again! Well known for her history, science and activity books for kids, Carlson has now applied her significant energies to creating a resource for parents, teachers and children to learn more about Thomas Edison's life, times and inventions in an engaging, hands-on manner. Like her entire catalog of kids' educational activity books, Thomas Edison for Kids provides ample context for the experiments and projects so that children may gain a full understanding of what it is that they're doing and why. Along the way, discussions of Edison's methods, perserverance, constant pursuit of knowledge model an enthusiasm for general scientific discovery not often seen by the young (or any of us, really). Additional historical context is provided by abundant archival photos and examinations of Edison's relationships with his peers, friends and rivals of the time - Tesla and Ford among them. The activities cover a range of interests and abilities, from constructing an eletrical circuit to testing botanicals. Adults will want to read the directions thoroughly before sitting down with impatient little ones - diagrams for experiments are rather basic for those of us somewhat removed from our science class years. That said, they are usually easy to set-up and generally don't require too much in the way of specialized equipment. One of the best features of the book is a comprehensive resource list of ideas for field trips and outings, websites, and sources for supplies needed for activities. Along with the time line and glossary they will help parents and teachers satisfy the curiosity about Edison that this book raises in their little scientists. Comment | | (Report this)