4. Who Was Albert Einstein? Jess Brallier

Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker
WHO WAS Biography Series
For: Grades 2-4 (RL 3.3)
Grosset & Dunlap, 2002
Paper, $4.99
106 pages

These readable, intersting, fact-filled biographies fit the bill perfectly to teach BIOGRAPHY to my entire class without having them all read the same book. Between the school library and local bookstores (I didn't find any at Bookman's) I was able to find more than enough for each student in my class. Each is set up the same way, beginning with a quick overview, six to eleven chapters telling of the person's life, then a timeline of the life with the facing page having a timeline of what was going on in the world at the time.

I learned a great deal about Albert Einstein. An incredible peace-lover, war-hater that brought about the creation of the atomic bomb. A U.S. citizen when he died. A deep, deep thinker and somewhat of a loner. It was really quite sophisticated information, perfect for my fourth graders. And I discovered some really interesting facts about his Judaism!