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kristenremenar's review
4.0
This could be a great Battle of the Books choice. It's a simple biography, with enough information in the end notes for reports, that shows just what a genius Galileo was and how full of ups and downs his life was. I didn't know Galileo came up with the ideas for the pendulum clock, the thermometer, the compass, and the microscope as well as the telescope, or that he left college without graduating. Fast, fascinating read.
beths0103's review
4.0
Told from Galileo's perspective as an old man looking back on his life, Bonnie Christensen captures Galileo's accomplishments and struggles with simple words and beautiful pictures that are almost stained-glass-like.
a_manning11's review
5.0
This book presents an honest look on the discoveries and the life of Galileo. Bonnie Christensen's illustrations are beautiful, creating a feel for the period, and an atmosphere of discovery and change.
The book includes maps, a chronology, and a list of Galileo's experiments, inventions, and discoveries. A glossary, bibliography and list of websites are also included.
The book includes maps, a chronology, and a list of Galileo's experiments, inventions, and discoveries. A glossary, bibliography and list of websites are also included.
alysona's review
4.0
Great introduction to Galileo. I had mixed feelings about the First Person narrative. It makes you see the world as he saw it, but doesn't sit right for a biography. Calling your own invention "ingenious" sounds obnoxious - someone else calling it "ingenious" is a real compliment.
and really the Catholic Church changed their mind about Galileo in 1992? You have to ponder these things for 400 years or so.
and really the Catholic Church changed their mind about Galileo in 1992? You have to ponder these things for 400 years or so.
abigailbat's review
3.0
A fine picture book biography of Galileo, but despite the first-person narration I didn't feel a real connection with this "father of modern science". I'd recommend Peter Sis's Starry Messenger instead.
PS: The Catholic Church didn't admit that Galileo was right and he shouldn't have been imprisoned until 1992?! Yikes!
PS: The Catholic Church didn't admit that Galileo was right and he shouldn't have been imprisoned until 1992?! Yikes!
maidmarianlib's review
4.0
Interesting first person voice of the this biography, contains a great deal of information. The "woodcut" illustrations are stunning.
booksandbosox's review
3.0
http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2012/08/short-reviews-non-fiction.html
beecheralyson's review
3.0
a good picture book introduction to Galileo. Interesting choice of first person narrative for this one.
tashrow's review
4.0
Told in the first person, this look at Galileo’s life is made all the more personal through the unique point of view. Galileo tells the tale from the house and walled garden he is imprisoned in. Blind and aging, he recalls his childhood and the way that he helped his father with his musical experiments after leaving the university with no degree. He was offered a teaching position in the same university a bit later, but he refused to be traditional and instead wore what he liked and tested Aristotle’s laws of physics. He was soon let go of his teaching role and headed to another university where they were more interested in his experiments. There he invented the compass and the telescope. Looking through his telescope, Galileo discovered that the sun is the center of the universe. It was then that his troubles truly began. For seven years, he was bound to silence about his findings until a new man became pope. When Galileo finally published his findings, they so incensed people that he was tried for heresy before the Inquisition. And so the story comes back to the old man imprisoned in the walled garden.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
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