Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize

by Kathy-jo Wargin, Zachary Pullen (Illustrator)

Almost everyone has heard of the Nobel Prize, a collection of prizes awarded for accomplishments in science, medicine, literature, and peace. But few people know about the man who established the award and for whom it is named, Alfred Nobel. Alfred Nobel was born in Sweden in 1833. A quick and curious mind, combined with a love of science and chemistry, drove him to invent numerous technological devices throughout his long life. But he is perhaps most well known for his invention of dynamite. Intending it to help safely advance road and bridge construction, Nobel saw his most famous invention used in the development of military weaponry. After a newspaper headline mistakenly announces his death, Nobel was inspired to leave a legacy of another sort. The Man Behind the Peace Prize tells the story of the enduring legacy of Alfred Nobel.Kathy-jo Wargin is the bestselling author of more than 30 books for children. Among her many awards for her work are an International Reading Association Children's Choice Award for The Legend of the Loon and an IRA Teachers' Choice Award for Win One for the Gipper. She lives in the Great Lakes area. Zachary Pullen's character-oriented picture book illustrations have won awards and garnered starred reviews. He has been honored several times with acceptance into the prestigious Society of Illustrators juried shows and Communication Arts Illustration Annual of the best in current illustration. Zachary lives in Wyoming.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2009

About the author

Kathy-jo Wargin is the bestselling author of more than fifty books for adults and children. With more than 1.2 million copies sold, she writes across genres and age-groups, and has earned national recognition for award–winning titles such as Michigan’s Official State Children’s Book The Legend of Sleeping Bear, the International Reading Association’s Children's Choice Award Winner The Legend of the Loon, the Bank Street College of Education Best Book Listee The Voyageur’s Paddle, the IRA Teacher's Choice Award Winner Win One for the Gipper, and many more.

Reviews

[Ben Truong]

Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize is a children's picture book written by Kathy-Jo Wargin and illustrated by Zachary Pullen. It is a picture book biography of the inventor of dynamite and creator of the Nobel Prizes.

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize, though he also made several important contributions to science, holding 355 patents in his lifetime.

Wargin's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Wargin depicts a melancholy, but committed pacifist who hoped his inventions would prevent war. Backmatter includes a list of Nobel Peace Prize winners to the date of publication. Pullen's full-bleed paintings are at their best in Nobel's workshop, their subject intent on the chemical task at hand.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. From his discovery that the volatility of nitroglycerin might be harnessed for use to the reading of the will in which he established the famous prizes, the brief account sketches in the basic details of Nobel's adult life: his fondness for reading and writing, his tinkering with explosives, the factory blast that killed his brother Emil and four others, and the premature obituary he read when his brother Ludvig’s death was misreported as his own.

All in all, Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize is a serviceable biography of the man who invented dynamite and the prizes to encourage science, literature, and peace.

[Steve Holden]

*Another year winding down, and another read aloud of Alfred Nobel in our final unit. This is a fascinating read for all of us, and I've found that this one generates a great discussion. My words from a year ago below are right on for me again with a different group of students.

I find myself very impressed with the depth of the stories found in our grade level curriculum. We really delve into some deep, very involved topics. We've read about many people throughout the year where students learn about them being awarded with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. It's just a phrase to them. Then, alas, we finish things off with a story about the man behind the prize. I have my students make predictions before reading about what they thought this man must've done in his lifetime to accomplish such a feat.

Needless to say, they're very surprised of his famous invention and the focus of the story. It's a tough connection for all of my students to make as to how the prize went into place with his name, but I love that we focus on this book to teach the topic. This is an extremely quick read for them, and many find the topic fascinating.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer]

Wargin begins this biography of Alfred Nobel with his days as a young man trying to find a "safe" form of dynamite. His success makes him a wealthy man, but not a happy one, as he sees that his invention has not always been used for peaceful purposes, but also to harm others. When he dies, he leaves money to establish the Nobel Prizes. Emphasis here is given on the creation of the Nobel Prize for peace, with the winners from 1901 to 2008 being listed in the back of the book. Now I'd like to see biographies of all of those people, some of whom I've never heard. What I really enjoyed about the book were Zachary Pullen's illustrations, which are slightly caricature-like and viewed from interesting perspectives (one of them looking straight down on Nobel at his desk). The two-page spread of the winter scene, where Nobel's death is described, is absolutely beautiful. The only fault I find with the book is the abrupt beginning, which made me think I'd skipped a page. I would have liked to know a bit about what he was like as a boy. Aside from that, I highly recommend this book.

[Laura]

I knew the basic story of Alfred Nobel before I read the book: Nobel was the inventor of dynamite but wanted to leave a positive legacy to the world with his wealth. After his death, his estate is used to award Nobel prizes to leaders in several fields. This story does a wonderful job of distilling these basic facts and the realistic illustrations make it an engaging text. Unfortunately, the writing is not as clear or strong as it could be. I found parts of the story choppy or disconnected. And while Wargin makes a good effort to make the story simple for young readers, I felt that she didn't include quite enough information for young readers to truly understand Nobel's motivations for creating his awards.

I will purchase this book for my elementary school collection because I believe it fills a niche and presents a biography of an important, notable individual. While I wish the text is a bit stronger, The Man Behind the Peace Prize will make a good read aloud and it's a book that will be used from year to year.

[Catherine Woodman]

The illustrations for this book are very good, and the story is aimed at the early grammar school crowd, but covers the high points of Alfred Nobels' life. He got a glimpse at his legacy when he was mistakenly reported to have died, and he read the world's reaction--that he was responsible for tools of war--he wanted dynamite to be used for progress and peace, so he left his fortune to honor those who had made majo accomplishments in science, literature, and in peace. This is a really cute biography that I really enjoyed.

[Matthew]

This is a beautiful book about a wonderful man. The test is easy and approachable and the illustrations are warm and inviting. I would share this with students. It really clears up his reasoning for creating the Nobel Prize as well as explaining his process in creating dynamite. It's simple and well done.

[Shelli]

This beautifully illustrated picture book biography is perfect for young readers to get acquainted with such a remarkable man who wanted to make his legacy count. A must have addition to any elementary school library or classroom.

[Sandy]

An informative picture book biography of the man who invented dynamite. An interesting subject, but my family felt that the story both began and ended rather abruptly, leaving my child with many questions. A good start, but this book felt unfinished.

[Ashley Shrum]

I would read this to show the students that anything is possible.

[Reagan Wilkinson]

I chose this book because I didn't know who this man was. I liked it because I learned the life and history of the man who invented dynamite and the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Bruna Bento]

the illustrations are beautiful. I really liked that Nobel was fond of poetry and literature as well! <3
Now I wanna read a full-length biography about him.

[Kaley Lee]

I loved loved love this book! The illustrations jump out at you with such realistic and cartoonish vibes I would recommend this book to anyone!!!

[Alice]

4 stars for this picture book biography of a man at conflict within himself after inventing TNT or dynamite.

[Barbara Lovejoy]

Fascinating book! I learned a number of new things. The Zachary Pullen illustrations are wonderful.

[Launna]

I didn’t know the story of the Nobel prizes. Informative read and I love this illustration style.

[Klinton Saha]

This book shares only few information about Alfred.My expectation was high..

[Erin Brown]

This was another March Madness Book Bracket read with my 2nd graders! This amazing and informative book held my class’s attention from start to finish! We were all incredibly impressed by the story told of Alfred Nobel, how well that story was told, as well as the absolutely stunning illustrations!

[Laurie]

Horn Book (Fall 2009)

Wargin focuses on Nobel's adult life, from his invention of dynamite to his horror at its use ("...people began to use dynamite to solve problems by hurting others. This made Alfred very sad") to the creation of the Nobel Prize. Though the text is superficial, it gives a sense of the man. Pullen's accompanying oil paintings are nicely shaded but distractingly caricaturish.



Kirkus Reviews (January 1, 2009)

A picture-book biography of the inventor of dynamite and creator of the Nobel Prizes fills a niche but oversimplifies somewhat in so doing. From his discovery that the volatility of nitroglycerin might be harnessed for use to the reading of the will in which he established the famous prizes, the brief account sketches in the basic details of Nobel's adult life: his fondness for reading and writing, his tinkering with explosives, the factory blast that killed his brother Emil and four others and the premature obituary he read when his brother Ludvig's death was misreported as his own. Throughout, Wargin depicts a melancholy but committed pacifist who hoped "his inventions would prevent war." Pullen's full-bleed paintings are at their best in Nobel's workshop, their subject intent on the chemical task at hand. While the brevity of the narrative is appropriate for the audience, for whom little else on the subject is available, it glosses over the fact that he manufactured armaments as well as tools for mining and manufacturing--an unfortunate elision. (list of Nobel Peace Prize winners) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)



School Library Journal (May 1, 2009)

Gr 3-6-Accompanied by large, captivating realistic paintings, this picture-book biography briefly depicts Nobel's life. According to the straightforward text, the inventor of dynamite hoped his discoveries "...would prevent war. He thought that if people were afraid of the harm that explosions could cause, perhaps they would settle things peacefully first." However, he eventually realized that he was perceived as "a man who earned his wealth by inventing ways to injure and kill," a fact that depressed him. While the text provides basic research information, it raises complicated questions in a sometimes oversimplified manner. Ultimately, it leaves readers yearning for more and wondering just who Alfred Nobel really was. A list of Nobel Peace Prize winners is appended.-Sarah O'Holla, Village Community School, New York City Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information

[MaryLibrarianOH]

Alfred Nobel created dynamite. His hope was that it would stop people from going to war but this was not the case. When he was mistaken for dead he had the chance to read his obiturary. It said he made his fortune from harming others. So when he died he left in his will the creating of the Nobel Prizes including Peace.

[Sam Bloom]

Beautifully illustrated by Pullen, this is an interesting story about someone I honestly knew nothing about. I feel like Wargin talks down to the reader a bit too much (or maybe she is writing this for preschoolers?), which takes away from an otherwise nice biography.

[Heather Shaw]

Wonderful storytelling with words and pictures of the man behind dynamite, and the unexpected, sometimes tragic consequences of invention. A book for every library. It will never go out of date and can be read aloud in grades two through four on a yearly basis. (ForeWord magazine)

[Tiffany]

Another fascinating true story about the man who invented dynamite, thinking it would be a tool to bring peace. Though he was saddened that the opposite was true, he later created the Nobel Prize to encourage the peacemakers.

[Rachel]

Simple biography with a lot of information.

[Angelique]

Love the illustrations!

[Krista]

Interesting to know that the man behind the peace prize invented dynamite. Very short read. Left me wanting to know more about this man.

[Sarah Threlkeld]

Lovely illustrations and good information, but the text itself felt choppy, not flowing from one idea to the next very successfully.

[Ellie]

Beautifully written and illustrated!