jB

This is our first encounter with the Groundbreakers and Scientists series published by the Heinemann Library and I have to say, it was a good read. It is about the size of a standard sheet of paper and there is a lot crammed into these 48 pages. This book is a good length and quality of content for reader's aged 8-12 or so. The way the book is designed, there are a lot of cut-aways with related tidbits, photos and maps which help bring more context to the story. I like that this series tries to put the events of Fossey's into a larger social, geographical and historical framework. Additionally it does include exerpts from Fossey's personal journals (and quotes from Articles and books from her and others in the field). This is a great book for children who are visually stimulated, while there is a lot of reading here, the way it is broken up makes it easy for a younger reader to move from area to area without having to read huge chunks of text all at once. A great introductory biography that I feel does give young readers an accurate and truthful glimpse into the life and times of Dian Fossey. At the end of the book is a pretty thorough timeline of Fossey's life which fills an entire page and part of another. Additionally there is recommended further reading, a glossary, and index. I give this one a solid A and would definitely recommend it to young readers who are starting out with biographies! ( )