School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--5--Young Nikola Tesla was first fascinated by electricity when he stroked his cat and produced sparks. This led to a lifelong quest to solve mysteries of the natural world. Tesla was well educated, and the seed for his greatest scientific discovery--alternating current (AC)--evolved from a line of poetry dealing with forward and backward motion. This poetic image made him realize that current could also travel back and forth and thus provide electricity over long distances. After his method of illumination was used to light up the sky at the Chicago World's Fair, Tesla became known as the Wizard of Electricity. But his prominence was short-lived. His naivete resulted in financial downfall when his partner, George Westinghouse, experienced difficulties. And he suffered the consequences of a smear campaign led by his rival Thomas Edison. With spare language, Westergaard sensitively portrays the life of a gentle man whose moment of brilliance was bookended by his early love of nature and his later reclusive years in New York when he became a peculiar figure, devoted almost exclusively to feeding pigeons. Sardà's dark palette appropriately echoes the somber tone. Extensive back matter and excellent sourcing are included. VERDICT For both pleasure reading and report writing, this is a worthy introduction to a brilliant scientist whose contributions have often been overshadowed by the better-known Thomas Edison.--Gloria Koster, formerly at West Sch., New Canaan, CT
Publisher's Weekly Review
This picture book biography profiles Serbian luminary Nikola Tesla (1856--1943), "one of the most important electrical inventors in the world--then and now." Starting from childhood, the volume follows Tesla's burgeoning interest in animals, electricity, and edification, leading to his inventing the alternating current induction motor at age 26, subsequently emigrating to the U.S., and eventually securing the contract to illuminate the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Debut author Westergaard punctuates her account of Tesla's work with details about his life, such as his daily caretaking of pigeons into his old age, when he died "penniless and alone." Intricate digital art by Sardà evokes folktales, Tesla's Croatian heritage, and artwork of the time, with fine lines and a dusky color palette. A luminous resource. Back matter includes an author's note with more about Tesla's inventions and legacy, photos, and sources. Ages 5--9. (July)
Kirkus Review
A portrait of the remarkable inventor as inquisitive, clever, and kindhearted. As a boy, Nikola Tesla lavished attention on his family's many fowl and was astonished by static electricity produced by stroking his cat's fur. Tesla's passion for reading and interest in electricity led to his immigration to the United States to work with Thomas Edison. The description of Tesla's sudden insight about alternating current is nicely handled, with a patent drawing on the facing page, and the Goethe poem that helped inspire him is included in the backmatter. Westergaard briefly recounts the contentious relationship between Tesla and Edison. Sardà's comical illustration here has each genius perched on a pedestal, arms and legs flailing as they engage in furious argument. Sardà's marvelous artwork includes borders and motifs suggesting art from what is now Croatia, Tesla's homeland, while depictions of the Chicago exposition and the New York skyline employ the decorative art style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All the people in them are White. The financial arrangement with George Westinghouse that aided Tesla's success at the Chicago world's fair of 1893 later left him penniless. The loneliness and indignity of Tesla's poverty in old age here is portrayed not so much as eccentricity but as the kindness of an elderly man toward city birds, a return to the simplicity of childhood. An extensive author's note fills in the complex picture of Tesla's life. A fine introduction, handsomely illustrated. (sources) (Picture book/biography. 7-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Nikola Tesla's brilliance still echoes through our modern technology, but how did the inventor come to take his place in history? This bewitching book begins with Tesla's birth, fittingly occurring during a lightning storm, and proceeds to fill in the compelling details of his life. His enduring love of animals is combined with his fascination with electricity when he strokes the family cat and the static causes a shower of sparks, a moment exquisitely captured by the accompanying artwork. This sets him on a path of curiosity and invention, taking him from Europe to America, from Edison's workshop to Chicago's 1893 World's Fair. But the story isn't content to simply list Tesla's technological contributions; it also takes time to examine his passion for learning and fondness for other creatures, namely the pigeons that he tended in his later years. Westergaard's lyrical text infuses Tesla's remarkable life with a fitting sense of wonder and whimsy, and Sardà's striking illustrations possess an old-fashioned flair, utilizing varied layouts and illuminations to animate Tesla's unusual story. Helpful back matter includes a detailed source list and a lengthy author's note offering more insight into Tesla's life, including photographs of the inventor himself. An elegant and enlightening look at a man who brightened the whole world.
