PICTURE BOOK - Lines, Bars and Circles: How William Playfair Invented Graphs by Helaine Becker

Illustrated by Marie-Eve Tremblay

2017 Kids Can Press

36 pgs.(yes, I counted twice)

Goodreads rating: 3.85 - 54 ratings

My rating:  4

Endpapers: Solid light yellowish-brown

1^st line/s:  "William Playfair was a dreamer.  He saw the world differently than other people."

My comments:  William Playfair (don't you love the name?) was, well, a goof-off and loser.  He was a great thinker with great ideas, but most of them fell through or got him in trouble.  And although he was the first recorded person to create and use line charts, bar graphs, and pie graphs, they were more-or-less scoffed at during his lifetime.  Poor guy.  This book chronicles all his failings and some of his triumphs, giving us a glimpse into the times as well - historical information is presented within the book (not as an afterword) on The Scientific Method, The Industrial Revolution, and The French Revolution. There IS also a three- page afterword with more information about the charts that Mr. Playfair actually created.

Goodreads:   Born in Scotland more than 250 years ago, William Playfair was a dreamer who ?saw the world differently from other people.? Unfortunately, this difference sometimes got in the way of his success. Early on, as he attempted to apply his unique perspective to a series of career opportunities in order to gain ?riches! fame! glory!? he instead suffered one failure after another. Then, while writing a book about economics, Will's innovative vision inspired an idea that would set him apart: he created the first modern line graph. Next came a bar graph and later a pie chart. These infographic inventions provided a way for numbers to be seen as pictures, which made them easier to understand and to remember --- and thus changed the way the world would interact with data forever.
          With this story of an unconventional man whose creative expressions revolved around math, science, engineering and technology, bestselling author Helaine Becker has created the perfect picture book introduction to STEM education. It would easily find use across curriculums in the classroom. On one level, it is a well-told and engaging biography of an intriguing man, illustrated with humor by Marie-Ève Tremblay. But it also explores math concepts such as measurement and geometry, as well as history, with sidebars on subjects such as the Industrial Revolution and steam engines. In addition, the book teaches the important lesson that everyone should follow their own curiosities to wherever they lead. The end matter includes historical notes, as well as more detailed explanations of the three types of graphs.