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Odd Boy Out : Young Albert Einstein

Don Brown’s picture-book biography of Albert Einstein frames the great thinker’s life and perspective as outside the box from his early childhood on. Young Albert is a late talker, but his words are “clever and sharp” once he begins to speak. By age four, this child who sometimes has a furious temper also shows single-minded fascination when he is engaged, like when he is allowed to explore the streets of Munich on his own. He doesn’t like sports, soldiers, or the things that interest other boys at his school. But the geometry book given to him by his tutor when he’s 12 captivates him like nothing has before, and he’s soon delving into higher mathematics. Brown’s superb narrative is written in the present tense and balances short, decisive sentences with brief but lyrical descriptions that embrace the wonder of Einstein’s fascination with the universe. The illustrations, primarily pen-and-ink, showcase the singularity of Einstein and his relationship to the world around him. ©2004 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Don Brown

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 6-9
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Biography Difference/Individuality History (Nonfiction) Science and Scientists

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publish Year: 2004
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0618492984

CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Einstein

Odd Boy Out : Young Albert Einstein