Informational Books: Electrical Wizard

Rusch, E., & Dominguez, O. (2013). Electrical wizard : How Nikola Tesla lit up the world. Somerville, MA : Candlewick Press.

From the Publisher:

“When a Serbian boy named Nikola Tesla was three, he stroked his cat and was enchanted by the electrical sparks. By the time he was a teenager, he had made a vow: Someday I will turn the power of Niagara Falls into electricity. Here is the story of the ambitious young man who brought life-changing ideas to America, despite the obstructive efforts of his hero-turned-rival, Thomas Edison. From using alternating current to light up the Chicago World’s Fair to harnessing Niagara to electrify New York City and beyond, Nikola Tesla was a revolutionary ahead of his time. Remote controls, fluorescent lights, X-rays, speedometers, cell phones, even the radio — all resulted from Nikola Tesla’s inventions. Established biographer Elizabeth Rusch sheds light on this extraordinary figure, while fine artist Oliver Dominguez brings his life and inventions to vivid color.” Retrieved from Candlewick Press Website 11/13/2017.

From School Library Journal:

Recommended for Gr 2-5

“Although Edison's inventions are celebrated in many children's books, his rival, Nikola Tesla, receives little attention. Rusch's picture-book biography starts to correct that imbalance. From childhood experiments through college studies, Tesla exhibited an interest in electricity. By the time he designed his alternating current (AC) system, he had moved from Eastern Europe to Paris but could find no investors to fund his projects. Convinced that Edison would recognize AC's value, Tesla came to America. Rather than welcome him, Edison set out to discredit AC because it threatened the direct current (DC) power stations he owned. Tesla's breakthrough came when Westinghouse, which used his inventions, won the bid to supply electricity to the Chicago World's Fair. That success was followed by Tesla's achievements in harnessing power generated by Niagara Falls to supply electricity for New York cities. Dramatic incidents such as Tesla's lighting a bulb with his hand are explained in scientific notes at the end. Diagrams and text clarify how AC and DC work, and Rusch stresses the dangers of experimenting with electricity. She provides source notes for quotations and offers detailed explanations of the Tesla-Edison rivalry and of other Tesla inventions. Dominguez's gouache and acrylic illustrations include impressive panoramas of the World's Fair and Niagara Falls, but the people lack animation. A more serious problem is the failure to provide historical context. There are no dates in the text itself, and there is no time line. Despite this oversight, most libraries should consider purchasing the book for its clear biographical details reinforced by scientific explanations. Students might compare Rusch's presentation with one or more books about Edison.–Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankatoα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.” Retreived from Amazon.com 11/13/2017.

Key Words:

Electricity, Tesla, Edison, Current

I am recommending this book for children in grades 3-5. This book would make a great read aloud for the classroom. The writing is dramatic. I think the lack of dates makes for interesting discussion and follow up. It will be clear to 3-5th grades that this takes place in the past before electricity was common. This might be a good introduction to studies about the Industrial Revolution, or The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, or of inventiveness and entrepreneurship. This book would certainly be a good addition to a science curriculum involving electrical currents and how they work.

This story would work well with Kentucky Educational standards for 4th grade 4-PS3-4: “Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.” And  4-ESS3-1: “Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.” Retreived 11/13/2017 from: https://education.ky.gov/curriculum/standards/kyacadstand/Documents/Kentucky_Academic_Standards_Science.pdf

Candlewick Press. (2013). Electrical Wizard How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World . Retrieved November 13, 2017, from http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=Title&mode=book&isbn=0763658553 

(September 1, 2013 ). Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World. School Library Journal Reviews, Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic