Light for the World, By Makaila Odoom

   Light for the World, By Makaila Odoom

        What would people do without light bulbs? You would not be able to read at night without lighting a candle, you would not be able to see the road while driving, and you wouldn’t be able to see a wasp about to sting you at night! Without Thomas Edison, these dreams would come true! Childhood of Famous Americans: Thomas A. Edison, Young Inventor by Sue Guthridge is a 192-paged biography about Tom’s life. Published by Aladdin Paperbacks, Simon & Schuster, New York in 1986, the story mostly focuses on his childhood and how the great scientist came to be. Illustrated by Wallace Wood, the book shows the childhood of Tom and how his childhood sparked the scientist in him.

        Sue Guthridge’s use of stories shows that Thomas was a curious and mischievous kid. One day, Tom went out to the barn to check on his pet goose’s eggs. They had not hatched yet. Tom knew that his pet goose, Lulu, sat on her eggs. He thought that if a bigger and warmer person sat on them, the eggs would hatch faster. The author explains that Tom says to his mother, “”I am bigger than Lulu, Mother, and I should be warmer. If I am bigger and warmer then I ought to be able to hatch her eggs quicker than she does. She takes too long. She’s been here for four weeks now” (18). His observation showed him that eggs cannot hatch faster if someone bigger sits on them. The author shows us that Tom Edison likes to explore different ideas and is a very curious kid.

       In the book, Sue Guthridge uses illustrations to show that even Thomas Edison made mistakes. When Tom was thirteen he worked on a train. He put his laboratory, with different chemicals, on the train. Since he didn’t get home until late, he had no time to work in his lab. One day they hit a bump on the train track and Tom’s bottle of phosphorus broke. Wallace Wood draws this scene, where Tom is trying to put out a fire, caused by the phosphorus, with a jug of water, when the conductor comes in and sees the chaos (164). Thomas Edison learned to be more cautious with his experiments after this incident. Readers can clearly tell what is going on in this intense illustration.  

       Sue Guthridge uses real information, to show that events in this book actually happened. When Tom was around thirty years old, he invented the lightbulb, giving billions of people the chance to see at night, without candles. “”Would you ever have thought,” he (Mr. Jehl, one of his assistants) said, “That a small piece of glass like this could turn night into day?” “Mr. Edison has changed the world with this lightbulb,” The helper said””(184). Of course, the invention of the lightbulb actually happened, or there would be no light at night today. Sue Guthridge uses real information from history to prove her points in the book. Sue wrote, “Since 1879 millions of little glass bulbs have come to life” (192). Sue Guthridge definitely did her research before writing this book.

       The way the author describes Thomas Edison’s life, with pictures, stories and real information, shows that Edison was a smart kid, who accomplished an abundance of things in his life. Guthridge illustrates Thomas Edison’s hard, fun and world changing life through illustrations, true facts and captivating stories. The book was realistic and interesting! It shows that Thomas Edison was a curious kid who invented great devices that improved people’s everyday lives. Guthridge’s illustrations, stories and true information shows Tom’s inability to give up on his dreams.