Marie Curie

May 1, 2009
Grades K-3 From the Kids Can Read Alone series, this biography introduces Marie Curies life and work. It begins with her early years in Poland, where women could not attend university (she worked to earn enough to study science in Paris). The book also touches upon her marriage to Pierre Curie; her discovery of polonium and radium, which led to two Nobel Prizes; and ends with her fatal illness and her stature as the most famous woman scientist. MacLeod, who earlier wrote a biography of the scientist for middle-grade students, does a good job presenting Marie Curie to even younger readers. The book clearly communicates the importance of this scientists achievements as well as her willingness to sacrifice personal comfort in pursuit of her goals; for instance, she drove X-ray machines to battlefields during World War I. A full-color illustration appears on each page. Though the figure drawing is a little awkward at times, the pictures add to the books appeal and help to define the people, the places, and the period in Curies life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
This easy reader biography accurately (if superficially) presents Marie Curie's life and achievements. Her birth in Poland, employment and schooling in Paris, marriage to Pierre, groundbreaking study of radiation, and resultant Nobel Prize are covered, as are her later professorship, continuing work, and death. Soft-toned illustrations, some awkwardly stiff, support the narrative.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)