Thomas Edison: Lighting the Way by Lori Haskins Houran, Gustavo Mazali
Published by HarperCollins on November 5th 2019
ISBN: 0062432885
Pages: 32
Goodreads

This charming biography of Thomas Edison starts off disclaiming a common belief.  Edison did NOT invent the light bulb, but made it better so everyone could use it.  Before he improved it, the light bulb would only stay lit for seconds before it burned out.  Edison studied and experimented and finally came upon a solution to make it usable for everyone in their homes and factories.

This book follows his life as a young boy, and how his love of inventions and making discoveries shaped his amazing contributions to the modern world.  He pursued his dream, becoming a full time inventor!

Children will be charmed with the simple color illustrations, and hopefully encouraged to follow their dreams.  A timeline and actual photos of Edison follow the story. This short book, only 32 pages, is an excellent first biography for children.  It is intended for adults to assist with the reading, as some words will be too difficult for beginning readers.

Reviewed by Irene Hall, Witherle Memorial Public Library, Castine