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Summary
Summary
Writer Tracy Nelson Maurer and illustrator El Primo Ramón present a lively picture book biography of Samuel Morse that highlights how he revolutionized modern technology.
Back in the 1800s, information traveled slowly. Who would dream of instant messages? Samuel Morse, that's who! Who traveled to France, where the famous telegraph towers relayed 10,000 possible codes for messages depending on the signal arm positions--only if the weather was clear? Who imagined a system that would use electric pulses to instantly carry coded messages between two machines, rain or shine? Long before the first telephone, who changed communication forever? Samuel Morse, that's who!
This dynamic and substantive biography celebrates an early technology pioneer.
Author Notes
Tracy Nelson Maurer is the author of over a hundred books, including John Deere, That's Who! and many other nonfiction books for children. She lives near Minneapolis with her family, and loves to interact with readers on her frequent school and library visits.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--2--Who makes a great topic of a picture book biography? Samuel Morse, that's who! Maurer tells the story of Morse's invention of the telegraph and Morse code in an engaging, light text. Pencil-line drawings with digital coloring by Ramón convey a strong sense of time and place, and the heavy use of white space makes the layout appealing for young readers. Maurer begins by emphasizing some of Morse's failed endeavors, including unsuccessful inventions and his passion to become an artist. While Morse enjoyed painting, he was never critically successful; however, in his travels to become a better artist, he discovered the French optical telegraph system, which inspired the telegraph and Morse code. He eventually turned his focus to his invention and the development of a U. S. telegraph line. The simple text provides relevant connections for students in its portrayal of great success spawned from failure and revision of plans and ideas. Endpapers include a time line of Morse's life, facts about the telegraph, an extensive bibliography, and an author's note that connects Morse's code to the modern binary language of computers. VERDICT This is an excellent biography on a lesser-known figure; add to collections looking for inventors and makers. As it turns out, … amuel M - - - r … e was a predecessor of the maker movement.--Jamie Jensen, Wayne Cox Elementary School, Roanoke, TX
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a frank, upbeat style, Maurer conveys to young digital natives what it meant to communicate via telegraph: "In the early 1800s, nothing traveled long distances fast. So, who would dream of instant messages? Samuel Morse, that's who!" Appearing in Ramón's charcoal-lined mixed-media art as a nondescript gentleman in a tailcoat, Morse strives unsuccessfully to become an artist before beginning to tinker with what would become the first electromagnetic telegraph machine. After disastrous attempts to lay cable in New York Harbor, success came in the form of above-ground telegraph lines. While back matter provides a timeline and additional facts relating to the telegraph, readers may still have questions about the technology and Morse Code. Still, the key takeaway, that the most innovative new technologies begin with a spark of imagination, is sound. Ages 4-8. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Maurer (John Deere, Thats Who!) puts Samuel Morses (17911872) failures front and center in this spirited picture-book biography. The water pump he designed with his brother? Almost nobody bought it. His marble-cutting machine? Already patented. These pithy examples, which Maurer shares early on, help to humanize the famous inventorand quickly draw readers in. Morse initially fancied himself an artistand a fancy one at that. But his paintings earned little attention and even less money. In 1829, Morse sailed to Europe, intent on studying its famous painters and creating his own masterpiece. His Gallery of the Louvre painting didnt garner much interest, but his travels did have an unexpected payoff. While in France, Morse observed an optical telegraph system: a series of towers whose movable arms displayed coded messages viewable only in good weather and daylight. Inspiration struck: Morse wondered if liquid lightning, a.k.a. electricity, could be harnessed for a more effective communication system. On his homeward voyage, he jotted down ideas for an electric telegraph machine and a code based on sequences of dots and dashes. Mishaps and delays, which Maurer goes on to discuss, frequently impeded the first inventor of instant messagesmaking for a valuable lesson in grit and determination. The pencil drawings by el primo Ramn, digitally colored with earth-toned hues, feature soft charcoal accents. Final pages include a timeline, a bibliography, an authors note, and additional facts about Morse. tanya d. auger September/October 2019 p.114(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
"Who created instant messages and changed the world forever?"Lively, fact-based text and energetic, kid-friendly illustrations capture the feeling of a past era to present the story of frustrated artist and creative inventor Samuel Morse. Setting the scene quickly so youngsters can jump right in, Maurer good-naturedly portrays Morse's artistic snobbery and vision, his not-so-successful experiments with invention, his interest in innovation, his willingness to take risks, his inquiring mind, and his resilience, presenting her subject as a real person to identify with rather than a flawless hero to be coolly admired. This is not a tale of diversity; the cast of characters is primarily male and white, though there are some women and people of color in the background. Periodic questions about Morse's ideas appear within the story, clarifying Morse's historical role and allowing for the repeated, titular refrain: "Samuel Morse, that's who!" By breaking down the invention of the telegraph into steps that readers will easily understand, the text effectively explains how the invention works as well as how it came to be, and young readers and listeners just may be inspired to try some inventing of their own. Backmatter includes a timeline, bibliography, additional facts, and an author's note. For readers who are able to remove the jacket, there is a Morse code chart on its reverse.An excellent, entertaining choice to highlight social-emotional skills, history, and STEM. (Picture book/biography. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Samuel Morse wasn't quite an instant success. He wanted to be a painter, but when his career in America didn't take off, he sailed to England in 1829 to study. People still didn't seem to get his art when he returned, but they sure were interested in the electromagnetic system to carry coded messages that he'd designed on the voyage home . It took trial and lots of error, but eventually Morse developed Morse code and the telegraph, allowing news that had previously taken months to travel across countries in a blink. Maurer follows up her noted John Deere, That's Who! (2017) with another accessible exploration of an instrumental figure in STEM. Ramón's illustrations, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, complement the breezy tone as they map Morse's journey. The extensive back matter includes a time line and additional resources, and readers curious about Morse code, discussed briefly in the text, should check under the book's jacket (a feature that may be lost in libraries if the jacket is laminated down). A fun, informative way to tap into historical inventions.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2019 Booklist
