Alexander Graham Bell Book

A brief introduction to the life of the man who invented the telephone.

Elisabeth Greenberg - Children's Literature

This "Rookie Biography" presents in easy-to-read language the salient facts of Alexander Graham Bell's life. The writer, or the series, has a penchant for defining words, such as communicating and deaf, which may help to clarify the story, but may also impede the flow of information. Well chosen period photographs and cartoons add to the interest of the book, but the illustrations would benefit from captions that clearly stated the subjects. Some information about the photographs is included in the text, but there is no clear indication that the very different looking people on pages 15 and 16 are both Thomas Watson, Alexander Graham Bell's co-inventor of the telephone. While the book is interesting and the author highlights some fascinating stories, the final page is rather moralistic and a let-down. I doubt that many children will "remember the hard work of Alexander Graham Bell the next time" they use the telephone, as the author urges. In fact, inventing the telephone didn't sound as though it was really "hard work" in this book. 2002, Children's Press/Scholastic Inc, Ages 6 to 8.