Module 12: Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

Book Summary:

Albert Einstein is a famous mathematician and scientist. At one point we will all learn about his mathematical equations and his theories, but what was he like as a child? Einstein was mean to his sister and tutors, and was lazy in school when it came to subjects he didn't like. When something fascinated him , he could spend hours working on it. He did not have many friends at school and preferred his own company to playing with others. He impressed the adults around him with his mathematical thinking. When He tried to attend college could not pass his placement exams in the subjects he had ignored so he must go back and earn his high school diploma. Jobs were hard to find so he took one in a patient office and helped raise his family. He continues his great thinking and becomes the famous man we know.

APA Reference:

Brown, D. (2004). Odd boy out: young Albert Einstein. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

My Impressions:

I knew Einstein was not a normal child but I did not know he threw violent fits. It seems strange to me to think of him as cruel and mean after seeing some of the silly photographs that have been taken of him. Even though this biography was written for children, I would like to know more about this man. Is it true that he did not speak until age five? Why did his parents let him wander the city? 

Professional Review:

Young readers won’t come away from Brown’s newest picture-book biography understanding the theory of relativity, but they will be heartened by the parallels between their own experiences and those of an iconic science guy. The author-illustrator of Mack Made Movies (2003) and other books presents the future Nobel Prize winner as a sallow, sunken-eyed little boy who lingers on the sidelines as other boys roughhouse, spends hours building a house of cards “fourteen stories high,” and vexes his teachers (one tells him that “he would never get anywhere in life”). Brown’s language dips into vagueness when it’s time to describe the mature scientist’s contributions, and the accompanying artwork is often disappointingly generic, awkwardly incorporating computer-generated elements that overwhelm the delicate ink-and-watercolor style used elsewhere. Still, this joins Frida Wishinsky’s What’s the Matter with Albert? (2002) as one of the very few picture-book biographies of Einstein available. Try giving it to older elementary students, who will get the most out of the detailed author’s note and bibliography featuring many books for adults. — Jennifer Mattson

Mattson, J. (2004, September 1). [Review of the book Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein, by

      Don Brown]. Booklist. Retrieved from: http://booklistonline.com/Odd-Boy-Out-The-Story-

      of-the-Young-Albert-Einstein-Don-Brown/pid=256549 

Library Uses:

I would use this in a story time to start off research for the science fair.