Marie Curie

Gr 2-5–In this picture book biography of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie, the pages are laid out in a way that will not overwhelm elementary-age readers. Howell offers many interesting facts about Curie and her family. The book is presented chronologically after a brief explanation of “Who Was Marie Curie?” Howell discusses Curie’s education and her accomplishments in a way that elementary children will understand, with unfamiliar words explained in the glossary. She also mentions the dangers of the work the Curies were involved in, even though those dangers were not known at the time. The information is delivered in bite-sized pieces and illustrated with photos and paintings from the time period. Despite the fact that the pictures are old, they are clear and do a good job of illuminating the text. The book opens with a table of contents and closes with a glossary, bibliography of books and websites, and an index, making it a good example for lessons on parts of books.