Odd Boy Out by Don Brown

 Module 7- Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein by Don Brown

Brown, D. (2004). Odd boy out: Young Albert Einstein. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

32 Pages
Ages 4-8

Plot:

In this biography of Albert Einstein, author Don Brown diverges from the normal recounting of Einstein's scientific career and focuses instead on his childhood and temperamental development into one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by recounting his completely average birth and remarks that in his early years he was very quite and focused, preferring solitary forms of pleasure rather than group sports. He also is surprising noted as being a generally poor student in subjects other than science and math, though due to disinterest rather than lack of intelligence. It is soon apparent that young Einstein has an apptitude for math and science, but those around him are frustrated by his lack of "normalcy" and invovlement in routine affairs. Einstein prefers instead to keep to himself and ponder the wonders of physics.

My Impressions:

I really enjoyed this book for its unusual approach to the life of Einstein. It relies very little on his scientific acheivenemts, instead showing the reader that he was neither a perfect nor even average child. He was flawed in his own unique ways and quirky. The tone of the book is also very light for a subject that is usually dense with facts and jargon. Thus is lends itself as being a very good biography book for young students. Also, the accompanying illustrations do a wonderful job of enhancing the tone of the story: somber when describing his isolation and bold and colorful when discussing his scientific wonderings. The book is light and engaging and I highly recommend it. 

Reviews:

From The Horn Book Magazine

"Brown maintains a delicate tension between his accessible presentation (a straightforward text and uncluttered illustrations) and his extraordinary subject (the legendary twentieth-century physicist whose complex ideas revolutionized science and daily life). For someone whose name is synonymous with genius, Albert Einstein's early years were far from auspicious. Brown carefully and effectively summarizes events, choosing telling details to paint a portrait of an introspective child who struggles in school and whose frustrated teachers wonder if Albert is "dull-witted." In the somber watercolor and ink illustrations, young Albert's physical separation from other figures emphasizes his psychological disconnection from the goings on around him (as do his almost-always-closed eyes). Brown introduces Einstein's famous theories with a light touch, keeping the focus on the boy/young man. The book's message about different ways of and approaches to learning is clear and will surely be appreciated by the intended audience. An author's note debunks a few myths surrounding the man and his work, and a short bibliography rounds out this inspired picture-book biography."

Kitty, F. n. (2011). Don Brown: Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein. The Horn Book Magazine, 80(5), 604.

From Booklist

"Gr. 3-5. Young readers won't come away from Brown's newest picture-book biography understanding the theory of relativity, but they will be heartened by the parallels between their own experiences and those of an iconic science guy. The author-illustrator of Mack Made Movies (2003) and other books presents the future Nobel Prize winner as a sallow, sunken-eyed little boy who lingers on the sidelines as other boys roughhouse, spends hours building a house of cards "fourteen stories high," and vexes his teachers (one tells him that "he would never get anywhere in life"). Brown's language dips into vagueness when it's time to describe the mature scientist's contributions, and the accompanying artwork is often disappointingly generic, awkwardly incorporating computer-generated elements that overwhelm the delicate ink-and-watercolor style used elsewhere. Still, this joins Frida Wishinsky's What's the Matter with Albert? (2002) as one of the very few picture-book biographies of Einstein available Try giving it to older elementary students, who will get the most out of the detailed author's note and bibliography featuring many books for adults."

Jennifer, M. n. (2004). Brown, Don. Odd Boy Out: the Story of the Young Albert Einstein. Booklist, 101(1), 116.

Library Suggestions:

Like many of Don Brown's biographies, this book would be good as part of a collection of early reader biographies. It's light content level and unique take on Einstein make it great for those just starting out with research or who even just those who are curious about notable people from history.