Gr 6-8 These well-organized books focus on two extraordinary scientists and their contributions to the world. Pasteur begins with a dramatic incident: a young boy suffering from multiple rabid-dog bites is brought to Pasteur's laboratory. Gogerly makes it clear that Pasteur was nervous about whether or not his vaccination would work and knew that his reputation was on the line-important concepts for readers to understand in terms of a scientist's life. The book tells of his early interest in science and his first experiments and research into crystals. Some of the more complex explanations of his work may be a bit difficult for the intended audience to comprehend, but the sense of the man and his endeavors is complete without that understanding. Pirotta discusses the work of other scientists who helped Einstein to formulate his theories. He discusses the physicist's family life, life as a scientist, and feelings about religion and the development of nuclear weapons, and provides an explanation of the theory of relativity and Brownian motion. The book ends with a discussion of Einstein's legacy in terms of the quantum theory, the development of the laser, and nuclear energy. Above-average, black-and-white and full-color illustrations, which include paintings, photographs, and diagrams, enhance the general interest of both titles. -Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

These lackluster biographies, illustrated with photos, archival reproductions, and paintings, focus on the artist's life and the historical events influencing his art. The volumes are inconsistent in qualityù[cf2]Dahl[cf1] stands above the others while [cf2]Shakespeare[cf1] is marred by errors. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.