I Am Marie Curie written by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by cartoonist Christopher Eliopoulos is the latest in the entertaining and informative picture book biography series, Ordinary People Change the World. The young reader is immediately oriented to Marie, born in Poland in 1867, and her story including her childhood fascination with her father’s science cabinet, her desire at an early age to become a scientist and her search for a school that would accept girls.
The illustrations are lively, clever and full of clarifying details. One of the most delightful is the two-page spread of Marie’s classroom at the Flying University, a school for girls. It is taught by a woman teacher and it is full of interesting science and math items such as a giant protractor, a huge periodic table of the elements, a blackboard filled with math equations, a model of a molecule, and a mortar and pestle.
The book speaks to Marie’s outstanding career, her discovery of both polonium and radium, her shared Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, making her the first woman to receive this prize, and her second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.
At the back of the book the young reader can find a timeline of Marie Curie’s life and some interesting photographs highlighted by one of her most important quotations: “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
I Am Marie Curie written by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos is the nineteenth book in this fine series especially designed for readers 5-8 years of age (Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House).
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Activity questions for I Am Marie Curie
Study the two-page illustration of Marie Curie in the science classroom at Flying University, a secret university for women, and find these items: a skull, a model of a molecule, math equations, a periodic table of elements, a protractor, and a mortar and pestle. Why is there also a picture of Superman on the mantel over the fireplace? Think about a possible connection between Superman’s heritage and Marie’s research. This could require some searching online. Parents can help if needed.
Marie Curie’s quotation at the back of the book reads: “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” What could this quote have meant to Curie? What does this quote mean to you?
A cartoon picture of the author Brad Meltzer is shown on the inside of the back cover. Take a look. A picture of the author is also hiding in one of the illustrations. Can you find him? Do some visual investigating.
