Books in Giants of Science series

Kathleen Krull’s biographies for young readers have received accolades from publications such as Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal, and here she profiles Sir Isaac Newton—the father of calculus and the man who pioneered studies of gravityWhat was Isaac Newton like? Secretive, vindictive, withdrawn, obsessive, and, oh, yes, brilliant. His imagination was so large that, just “by thinking on it,” he invented calculus and figured out the scientific explanation of gravity. Yet Newton was so small-minded that he set out to destroy other scientists who dared question his findings. This compelling portrait of Newton, contradictions and all, places him against the backdrop of 17th-century England, a time of plague, the Great Fire of London, and two revolutions. Krull details Newton’s lonely childhood, his education, and his sometimes tumultuous relationship with contemporaries in this captivating and concise look at one of history’s greatest geniuses.

Krull presents another top-notch scientific biography in the outstanding Giants of Science series. Readers have come to expect chatty, direct narratives that develop distinct characters and place those individuals squarely in the context of both their times and their disciplines, and this account of the noted physicist's life delivers the goods. From her childhood in an oppressed Poland, the daughter of two highly educated individuals, Curie emerges as a driven woman, determined to excel for both her parents' and her country's sake--this drive informing everything that followed.As in previous series entries, this offering manages to take a wildly complex subject--atomic physics--and render it comprehensible to the child listener, emphasizing the legacy Curie left behind. Curie's personal life--her unusual (for the times) partnership with her husband, her frustration with the limitations imposed on her because of her sex, her difficulty balancing work and family--receives admiring, but frank consideration.Listeners will emerge from this account with a new appreciation for both the scientific and social advances made by Curie, whose towering achievements justly earn her a place among the “Giants.""

MP3 CD Format Krull presents another top-notch scientific biography in the outstanding Giants of Science series. Readers have come to expect chatty, direct narratives that develop distinct characters and place those individuals squarely in the context of both their times and their disciplines, and this account of the noted physicist's life delivers the goods. From her childhood in an oppressed Poland, the daughter of two highly educated individuals, Curie emerges as a driven woman, determined to excel for both her parents' and her country's sake--this drive informing everything that followed.As in previous series entries, this offering manages to take a wildly complex subject--atomic physics--and render it comprehensible to the child listener, emphasizing the legacy Curie left behind. Curie's personal life--her unusual (for the times) partnership with her husband, her frustration with the limitations imposed on her because of her sex, her difficulty balancing work and family--receives admiring, but frank consideration.Listeners will emerge from this account with a new appreciation for both the scientific and social advances made by Curie, whose towering achievements justly earn her a place among the “Giants.""

Albert Einstein. His name has become a synonym for genius. His wild case of bedhead and playful sense of humor made him a media superstar?the first, maybe only, scientist-celebrity. He wasn?t much for lab work; in fact he had a tendency to blow up experiments. What he liked to do was think, not in words but in ?thought pictures.? What was the result of all his thinking? Nothing less than the overturning of Newtonian physics. Once again, Kathleen Krull delivers a witty and astute look at one of the true ?Giants of Science? and the turbulent times in which he lived.

Krull presents another top-notch scientific biography in the outstanding Giants of Science series. Readers have come to expect chatty, direct narratives that develop distinct characters and place those individuals squarely in the context of both their times and their disciplines, and this account of the noted physicist’s life delivers the goods. From her childhood in an oppressed Poland, the daughter of two highly educated individuals, Curie emerges as a driven woman, determined to excel for both her parents’ and her country’s sake—this drive informing everything that followed.As in previous series entries, this offering manages to take a wildly complex subject—atomic physics—and render it comprehensible to the child listener, emphasizing the legacy Curie left behind. Curie’s personal life—her unusual (for the times) partnership with her husband, her frustration with the limitations imposed on her because of her sex, her difficulty balancing work and family—receives admiring, but frank consideration.Listeners will emerge from this account with a new appreciation for both the scientific and social advances made by Curie, whose towering achievements justly earn her a place among the “Giants.”

Albert Einstein: his name has become a synonym for genius. His wild case of bedhead and playful sense of humor made him a media superstar—the first, maybe only, scientist-celebrity.He wasn’t much for lab work—in fact he had a tendency to blow up experiments. What he liked to do was think—not in words, but in “thought experiments.” What was the result of all his thinking? Nothing less than the overturning of Newtonian physics.Once again, Kathleen Krull delivers a witty and astute look at one of the true Giants of Science, and the turbulent times in which he lived.

All his life, Charles Darwin hated controversy. Yet he takes his place among the Giants of Science for what remains an immensely controversial subject: the theory of evolution.Darwin began piecing together his explanation for how all living things change or adapt during his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle. But it took him twenty years to go public, for fear of the backlash his theory would cause.Once again, Kathleen Krull delivers a witty and astute picture of one of history's greatest scientists.

All his life, Charles Darwin hated controversy. Yet he takes his place among the Giants of Science for what remains an immensely controversial subject: the theory of evolution.Darwin began piecing together his explanation for how all living things change or adapt during his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle. But it took him twenty years to go public, for fear of the backlash his theory would cause.Once again, Kathleen Krull delivers a witty and astute picture of one of history’s greatest scientists.