Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize

by Kathy-Jo Wargin (Author) Zachary Pullen (Illustrator)

Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Almost everyone has heard of the Nobel Prize, a collection of prizes awarded for accomplishments in science, medicine, literature, and peace. But few people know about the man who established the award and for whom it is named, Alfred Nobel.

Alfred Nobel was born in Sweden in 1833. A quick and curious mind, combined with a love of science and chemistry, drove him to invent numerous technological devices throughout his long life. But he is perhaps most well known for his invention of dynamite. Intending it to help safely advance road and bridge construction, Nobel saw his most famous invention used in the development of military weaponry. After a newspaper headline mistakenly announces his death, Nobel was inspired to leave a legacy of another sort.

The Man Behind the Peace Prize tells the story of the enduring legacy of Alfred Nobel.

Kathy-jo Wargin is the bestselling author of more than 30 books for children. Among her many awards for her work are an International Reading Association Children's Choice Award for The Legend of the Loon and an IRA Teachers' Choice Award for Win One for the Gipper. She lives in the Great Lakes area.

Zachary Pullen's character-oriented picture book illustrations have won awards and garnered starred reviews. He has been honored several times with acceptance into the prestigious Society of Illustrators juried shows and Communication Arts Illustration Annual of the best in current illustration. Zachary lives in Wyoming.

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School Library Journal

Gr 3-6 Accompanied by large, captivating realistic paintings, this picture-book biography briefly depicts Nobel's life. According to the straightforward text, the inventor of dynamite hoped his discoveries "]would prevent war. He thought that if people were afraid of the harm that explosions could cause, perhaps they would settle things peacefully first." However, he eventually realized that he was perceived as "a man who earned his wealth by inventing ways to injure and kill," a fact that depressed him. While the text provides basic research information, it raises complicated questions in a sometimes oversimplified manner. Ultimately, it leaves readers yearning for more and wondering just who Alfred Nobel really was. A list of Nobel Peace Prize winners is appended."Sarah O'Holla, Village Community School, New York City" Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781585362813
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date
April 20, 2009
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Science & Technology
Library of Congress categories
Inventors
Nobel Prizes
Chemical engineers
Dynamite
Nobel, Alfred Bernhard

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