In the introduction to Patent’s cogent, thoughtful biography of Charles Darwin, she explains his importance as an icon of science, for without his discovery of evolution through the mechanism of natural selection, “biology makes no sense.” Patent traces Darwin’s life, chronicling his childhood love of collecting, a passion he later said in his autobiography “leads a man to be a systematic naturalist, a virtuoso, or a miser,” his now famous journey on the Beagle, his life as a naturalist, and his many contributions to science. At the time, it was believed that individual species were created separately by God and were therefore perfect and immutable. When Darwin became convinced that species could and do change over time, he acknowledged in a letter to fellow scientist Joseph Hooker that his ideas were akin to “confessing a murder.” What readers should find inspiring and instructive is the way Darwin persevered. Despite various obstacles, including the fear of societal condemnation and his own ill health, Darwin struggled to figure out the vehicle for species change, integrating his ideas from a variety of sources, never giving up until his theory was whole. Additionally, youngsters should find the details of Darwin’s life, his “houseful of servants,” the highly ritualized way he organized his workday, as well as his related scientific interests and achievements, edifying and entertaining. This is not a piece that exactly pulls the reader along, but it is clear and informative and makes a creative life in science seem worthy and satisfying. (Biography. 10+)
Pub Date: July 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1494-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
Remarking that ``nothing about the weather is very simple,'' Simon goes on to describe how the sun, atmosphere, earth's rotation, ground cover, altitude, pollution, and other factors influence it; briefly, he also tells how weather balloons gather information. Even for this outstanding author, it's a tough, complex topic, and he's not entirely successful in simplifying it; moreover, the import of the striking uncaptioned color photos here isn't always clear. One passage—``Cumulus clouds sometimes build up into towering masses called cumulus congestus, or swelling cumulus, which may turn into cumulonimbus clouds''—is superimposed on a blue-gray, cloud-covered landscape. But which kind of clouds are these? Another photo, in blue-black and white, shows what might be precipitation in the upper atmosphere, or rain falling on a darkened landscape, or...? Generally competent and certainly attractive, but not Simon's best. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-10546-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
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