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Available
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921 EIN
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Publication
National Geographic Children's Books (2005), 64 pages
Description
This photobiography of Albert Einstein publishes to coincide with the year that marks the 100th anniversary of what has been described as Einstein's "miraculous year" and the 50th anniversary of his death. In 1905 Einstein published three important papers describing ideas that changed science forever and eventually had an effect on much of modern life. The most famous of these ideas was his theory of relativity, which took a startling new approach to space and time. In signature National Geographic photobiography format, author Marfe Ferguson Delano covers the life and times of Einstein from his childhood to his death, with a particular emphasis on his scientific contributions. She draws connections between Einstein's ideas and modern technology, so that kids can see how his theories led to technologies they take for granted. She discusses Einstein's theory on the structure of light, in which he theorized that light behaved not only like a wave but also like a stream of particles, providing the basis for television, lasers, and semiconductors. Einstein's theory of relativity paved the way for the atomic bomb and opened up an understanding of many things, from the Big Bang to black holes. Ferguson Delano discusses the power of Einstein's ideas, and their influence not only on science but on art, music, and even literature and politics. She places Einstein in context as a world figure and discusses the causes he supported, including nuclear disarmament and civil liberties. And she provides the context of world events as they affected Einstein's life, including the rise of Hitler and World War II. Running text, raised quotes, and extraordinary archival photographs all stunningly designed and handsomely produced make this entry in the National Geographic photobiography series one of the most attractive and compelling yet. The publication date will coincide with celebration of Einstein's life and achievements. In recognition of Einstein's ideas and his influence on modern life, the year 2005 has been declared the "World Year of Physics" (WYP) by such organizations as the American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. The theme for the WYP celebration in the U.S. is "Einstein in the 21st Century." Organizers are planning large-scale national projects, including a poster contest for elementary school students. Other planned events can be found at http://www.physics2005.org/events.… (more)
Awards
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Mass Import -- Pending Differentiation)
Orbis Pictus Award (Honor — 2006)
AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books (Finalist — 2006)
CCBC Choices (2006)
Notable Children's Book (2006)
NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K–12 (Biography — 2006)
Original language
English
Physical description
64 p.; 11.12 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bogle3
Genius A Photobiography of Albert Einstein, gave an insight to Albert Einstein's life. It told his story of how he grew up and became a famous scientist. However, you see how at one point in his life it was hard for him to get a job because he could not get a good recommendation from his professors
A Science teacher can definitely use this book in his her science class. One thing they could pull from this book is just Albert Einstein in general. They could talk about him being a famous Scientist. This important to science classrooms. Science teachers could talk about Albert Einstein for days. Another issue teachers can pull from this book is Albert Einstein's theories that he came up with. This would be a good topic to get out of this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I find it interesting that he did not talk till he was between two and three. I find this interesting because some people would think that something would be wrong with a child that has not talked by that age, but Albert Einstein was a Genius!!! i do believe that i learned from this book.
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in college because he was bored in college. The photographs in this book also gave insight to his life as well. They showed photographs of his family, him, and many other important things that happened in his life. Albert Einstein did not consider himself a genius, he considered himself to be normal. A Science teacher can definitely use this book in his her science class. One thing they could pull from this book is just Albert Einstein in general. They could talk about him being a famous Scientist. This important to science classrooms. Science teachers could talk about Albert Einstein for days. Another issue teachers can pull from this book is Albert Einstein's theories that he came up with. This would be a good topic to get out of this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I find it interesting that he did not talk till he was between two and three. I find this interesting because some people would think that something would be wrong with a child that has not talked by that age, but Albert Einstein was a Genius!!! i do believe that i learned from this book.
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LibraryThing member STBA
Meet the 20th century's most important scientist in this very attractive book and learn that the man with the big brain also had a big heart. Delano achieves a stunning balance between words and sepia-toned photos.
LibraryThing member NancyStorm
This book has great photos of Einstein from childhood through his later years, including facts from his childhood in Germany, his contributions to the world and the events leading to his immigration to America. Good book for research but a bit dry.
LibraryThing member emilee
I really loved the message behind this book
LibraryThing member lauraejensen
This is a gorgeous, sophisticated book, which may be a bit dry for some children, so it may be best to look only at small bits at a time. As well the book covers science, art, music, literature, and politics, Hitler, WWII, The Holocaust, so there is so much that needs discussing, preparing for and
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concluding. Gorgeous photography, complete quotes and a better glimpse into the 'man with crazy hair.' Provides simplified versions of his theories, information on Einstein's causes, as well as his mistakes. Useful in many ways, from science, to technology, art, biography, photography. Show Less
LibraryThing member maryperez1
i loved this book. Einstein has always been a favorite of mine, and this book did a great job of explaining his theories. i learned new information about his private life and loved, loved the photos.
LibraryThing member aimtroyer
This book talks about Einstein in chronological order, and students can easily follow his life. It has interesting details, but also the basics of what he has accomplished. It contains an index that can be taught and it's not overwhelming.
LibraryThing member jasmine84
Albert Einstein is a really genius guy. Science and physic is not my favorite subject but Einstein really make out science that for today still know about his name with his science and physic.
LibraryThing member jillclark
I liked this book alright but it is not one of my favorites. The pictures are beautiful and help explain the text very well. I just had a hard time understanding his theories and the way he lived his life. I was not especially fond of the fact that he cheated on his wife with his cousin. I was very
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upset about that. So I guess the best thing I can say about this book is that the pictures were very pretty. Show Less
LibraryThing member adw1723
This was a pretty good book. I had no idea that Einstein was left behind while his family moved away to finish his studies. The picutres and the quotes were very interesting. The one thing I did not like was there were too many words on one page which could have the tendency to discourage students
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from reading the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member calvinsmith8
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879, into a middle-class Jewish family. His father had a special talent for math, but because his family did not have the money to send him to school, he became a businessman. His mother was a talented pianist, and came from a well-to-do familily. Both
Albert's mother gave him a lot of independence to roam the streets at a young age (though she secretly followed him to make sure he wouldn't get into any real trouble). At the age of five his mother shared her own passion of music with him by enrolling him in classes for the violin, but it wasnt until he was around 13 that he began to really appreciate being able to play. This was because he had begun to listen to Mozart's Sonatas, and from then on music was one of the most joyous elements of his life.
Albert did well in school, and particularly excelled in math and science, but he did not like the rote methods of memorization that were considered as education in that day and age in Germany.
When he was 15 his parents moved to Milan, Italy to pursue one of his father's business ventures, while Albert was to stay behind and finish school. But before the age of 17, he made the decision to leave the country of his birth and his school in order to avoid military service, and begin the process to renounce his citizenship.
He attended high school for another year in Switzerland, in order to pass entrance exams into the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. When he finally did get accepted into the University, a year later, he fell back into his old ways since professors were not teaching the latest theories. He ended up missing a lot of classes, and when it came time for his graduate examinations, he realized that he would have to cram for it if he wanted to pass.
Luckily, a close friend gave him his detailed notes to study, and he was able to graduate in 1900. Soon after Einstein became a Swiss citizen, found a job as a patent clerk and later married. The job was perfect because it gave him time to work on his own theories at night. In 1906 he published 4 articles that would rock the scientific community. They were about light, atoms and molecules, motion, and relativity. He went on to finish his Ph.D in 1905. Albert had his second son with his wife, and went on to follow better paying teaching positions at different universities, until he realized that teaching took away his time for real science, so he ended up back in Germany as the director of a new institute of physics. This move caused his marriage to fail, and for his family to leave. And in 1914, when WWI started he was concentrated on his newest theory that would overturn Newton's ideas of space and time. Later on Einstein wins the Nobel Peace Prize decided to move to the United States, because of his pro-zionist/ Anti-Nazi views. He takes the oath of citizenship in the US. and when he learns that Hitler was working on an Atomic Bomb, he writes a letter, with other scientists to the President of the United States, to express the importance for urgency in winning this nuclear race. But he was never responded to as the government saw Einstein as a security risk, because of his pacifistic background. It was fortunate that he had nothing to do with this technology, as it would have drove him crazy to know that any part of his work had been used at Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
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parents were afraid that Albert was born with mental problems, since his head was very large at birth, and he was unable to speak until he was around three years of age. Albert's sister, Maja was born soon after his family moved to Munich in 1881. Albert's mother gave him a lot of independence to roam the streets at a young age (though she secretly followed him to make sure he wouldn't get into any real trouble). At the age of five his mother shared her own passion of music with him by enrolling him in classes for the violin, but it wasnt until he was around 13 that he began to really appreciate being able to play. This was because he had begun to listen to Mozart's Sonatas, and from then on music was one of the most joyous elements of his life.
Albert did well in school, and particularly excelled in math and science, but he did not like the rote methods of memorization that were considered as education in that day and age in Germany.
When he was 15 his parents moved to Milan, Italy to pursue one of his father's business ventures, while Albert was to stay behind and finish school. But before the age of 17, he made the decision to leave the country of his birth and his school in order to avoid military service, and begin the process to renounce his citizenship.
He attended high school for another year in Switzerland, in order to pass entrance exams into the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. When he finally did get accepted into the University, a year later, he fell back into his old ways since professors were not teaching the latest theories. He ended up missing a lot of classes, and when it came time for his graduate examinations, he realized that he would have to cram for it if he wanted to pass.
Luckily, a close friend gave him his detailed notes to study, and he was able to graduate in 1900. Soon after Einstein became a Swiss citizen, found a job as a patent clerk and later married. The job was perfect because it gave him time to work on his own theories at night. In 1906 he published 4 articles that would rock the scientific community. They were about light, atoms and molecules, motion, and relativity. He went on to finish his Ph.D in 1905. Albert had his second son with his wife, and went on to follow better paying teaching positions at different universities, until he realized that teaching took away his time for real science, so he ended up back in Germany as the director of a new institute of physics. This move caused his marriage to fail, and for his family to leave. And in 1914, when WWI started he was concentrated on his newest theory that would overturn Newton's ideas of space and time. Later on Einstein wins the Nobel Peace Prize decided to move to the United States, because of his pro-zionist/ Anti-Nazi views. He takes the oath of citizenship in the US. and when he learns that Hitler was working on an Atomic Bomb, he writes a letter, with other scientists to the President of the United States, to express the importance for urgency in winning this nuclear race. But he was never responded to as the government saw Einstein as a security risk, because of his pacifistic background. It was fortunate that he had nothing to do with this technology, as it would have drove him crazy to know that any part of his work had been used at Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
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LibraryThing member misscopaneca
This book chronicles the life of Albert Einstein with photos and descriptions of his childhood, adolescence, adulthood, as well as his scientific discoveries and other passions. I think it would best be used with older students (high school), and could be incorporated into a science class. I
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learned a lot about Einstein that I never knew before by reading this informative book. Still had trouble understanding his theories though! Show Less
LibraryThing member Meerkat4
Does anyone want to know about perhaps the most intelligent man in human history? well if you do this information book is for you. the Author takes you on a journey of Einstein's life as a celebrity scientist, as well as his not so celebrated life as a humanist, focusing on his principles of
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justice, freedom, and pacifism. All while getting to know this quirky man from our past. the photography is wonderful. Perhaps the best part was the forward was written by his grandson, which added a wonderful personal note to the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member patinoc2
The author did a good job by telling not only the whole story about Einstein but also by writing very clear facts that are complete and convincing. “Thanks to Einstein’s dazzling discoveries, at least some of the secrets of nature have been revealed to us all”.
Delano narrates Einstein's life
The author also talks about the year 1905, when Einstein published three important papers describing ideas that changed science forever and eventually had an effect on much of modern life. The most famous of these ideas was his theory of relativity, which took a startling new approach to space and time. The author explains this theory with graphics and pictures that help readers understand Einstein’s ideas.
Delano narrates Einstein's life
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from his childhood in Austria through the crucial years during World War II, and his death 50 years ago in Princeton, New Jersey.The author also talks about the year 1905, when Einstein published three important papers describing ideas that changed science forever and eventually had an effect on much of modern life. The most famous of these ideas was his theory of relativity, which took a startling new approach to space and time. The author explains this theory with graphics and pictures that help readers understand Einstein’s ideas.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AshleyWheeler
This photobiography begins with Albert's birth and follows the detailed story of his professional and personal lives until the time of his death. Being a National Geographic book, the photos and backgrounds used are primary source documents, which really enhanced the book. There are many full- and
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half-page pictures to look at. Show Less
LibraryThing member hkent32
Short Description: This is an autobiography with lots of photos of Albert Einstein from his personal life and also from his professional life from birth to death. It had a lot of great information and things in it that I don't think people normally know about him. We see a man that really changed
Personal Reflection: This was an awesome book- the photos were incredible. I think the content was really interesting (that he was an avid peace activist, etc.) and it would inspire a lot of people in a history class or a science class. I would read this before we do work in science that relates to something he did. It also has some interesting little explanations of the theories that he did and how they work- helpful for science classes as well.
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things in the science field and is very inspiring in many ways. Personal Reflection: This was an awesome book- the photos were incredible. I think the content was really interesting (that he was an avid peace activist, etc.) and it would inspire a lot of people in a history class or a science class. I would read this before we do work in science that relates to something he did. It also has some interesting little explanations of the theories that he did and how they work- helpful for science classes as well.
Show Less
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Pages
64