Alexander Graham Bell

On My Own Biography

by Victoria Sherrow, Elaine Verstraete (Illustrator)

Growing up, Alexander Graham Bell was fascinated with music, speech, and sounds. He worked hard to invent things that would not only help those with impaired hearing, but also bring people together in new and special ways. What he didn't know was that his simple idea--to help people communicate--would change the world when he invented the telephone.

Genres: Biography

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Victoria discovered her interest in reading and writing both in early adolescence. In 1978 she moved to Los Angeles and worked two jobs. It was at that time she read Writing for Children and Teenagers by Lee Wyndham , and that is when her fate as a writer was sealed. Victoria had decided to write a children's novel. She went to an annual L.A. conference on writing for children where she learned the basics of marketing and submitting work for writers. Then she started writing.

Her first stories were rejected but she kept strong at it. The year after(1979), she managed to sell a story. Then she sold more. And since she has become a multiple award winning author with over 100 published titles to her name. Sherrow has written poetry, short stories, picture books, and articles.

Victoria has taught writing for over twenty years, reviewed children’s books for newspapers, judged writing contests, and done numerous presentations at schools, libraries, and bookstores. She is a long-time member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and served as a judge for the SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award.

Reviews

[Kendra Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a good book for students in grades 3rd-6th grade. It is a very informational book that tells the life of Alexander Graham Bell in a way that is easy to understand. They explain different terms in the book and include the imagery of Alexander. I would recommend this book for a historical time, especially learning about different inventors.

[Alexandra Gallawa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published: 2001
Themes: Determination

My favorite part of this biography is when Aleck is so excited that the telephone worked that he forgot that he had burned his arm. This book would be a great way to teach students about working hard to achieve their goals, as well as teaching them about where one of the most common technological pieces of today came from.

[Elizabeth Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book primarily because I love science! This is very kids friendly biographical book and it uses appropriate language for mid/upper elementary students (3rd-5th graders). I love how Sherrow refers to Alexander simply as Aleck, shortening the name makes it a bit more personal and engaging for the kids. Sherrow begins the book with a story about Aleck and his siblings, a real story in which Aleck attempted to teach his dog how to talk. This book is a great introduction to sound and vibrations and it has an underlying message of perseverance, Aleck had always been interested in speech patterns and he wished to find new ways to help deaf people talk, he eventually succeeded and moved on to his next project, a machine that would help people talk over wires (the telephone). The use of illustrations, friendly language, clear short sentences and it is easy to use the illustrations for a picture walk of the book if your child is struggling with reading. Each section of the book is described with a title that includes a location where the next part will be taking place, as I was reading this book the first activity that popped in my head was an illustrated timeline! There are lots of dates and the kids can pick out as many as they want and add fun pictures to go along with their timelines. Overall a great quality book filled with lots of amazing illustrations and accurate information, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!