School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-This informational picture book gives readers a small glimpse of Nikola Tesla's life and achievements-beginning with his journey to America (he was robbed on the ship over, but was still determined to meet the "'electrical wizard' of America," Thomas Edison), briefly going back to his childhood in Croatia and then continuing forward to cover his work for Edison and, later, Westinghouse. The bulk of the work focuses on the battle between Edison and Tesla over direct current (Edison) and alternating current (Tesla), culminating with Tesla's success in the World's Fair in Chicago and the generator at Niagara Falls. The last page of the story jumps forward two years, going from the 1896 opening of the hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls to Tesla's unveiling of his radio-controlled boat at the Electrical Exhibition in New York City in 1898. Considering that the majority of the book is centered on the power battle, this ending seems abrupt and unrelated. This title does well as a simple introduction to Tesla, though it lacks enough substance for reports. VERDICT Consider where the series is popular and for larger libraries looking to supplement a robust science or biography picture book collection.-Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Library, AK © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
This brief, uneven look at Tesla's inventing career begins with his 1884 arrival in America and ends rather abruptly with his 1896 Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant. Although focusing on Tesla's famous conflicts with Edison, his rivalry with Marconi--who was credited with inventing the radio but used Tesla's ideas--is glossed over in an endnote. Droll pen-and-ink drawings capture the era. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Nikola Tesla arrived in the United States nearly penniless, but he had engineering skills and a grand dream.In the late 19th century, this immigrant from Croatia imagined generating electricity from Niagara Falls and electrifying the country with an alternating current system. Ultimately, working with George Westinghouse, he made those dreams come true. Tesla's actual accomplishments are a difficult and controversial subject, but his name increasingly appears in children's fiction. This new entry in the Great Ideas series may help explain his appeal. Although some of his setbacks are noted and the author hints at his lack of commercial success, mostly this quirky engineer is portrayed as a man who made his dream come true. There is some invented or reworked dialogue, and his story has been simplified. Slavin's digitally colored pen-and-ink drawings have just the right historical look; they offer a bit of humor and are full of interesting machines and motors. Bibliographical references appear on the copyright page as "sources of inspiration"; they include one written for children, Elizabeth Rusch and Oliver Dominguez's Electrical Wizard (2013), which is visually less engaging but more useful, especially for its backmatter.Storywise, this admiring introduction to one of the foremost inventors of the electrical age sparkles, but it doesn't provide a steady, dependable source of information. (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This addition to the Great Ideas series introduces one of science's most electrifying stars, Nikola Tesla. Kulling begins with Tesla's almost penniless arrival in the U.S. as a young man and his early career with inventor Thomas Edison. Despite Tesla's intelligence and willingness to work hard, the two did not get along, and Edison dismissed his employee's idea to revolutionize electric power by using alternating rather than direct currents. Tesla soon left Edison Machine Works and, after a stint digging ditches, found a job with George Westinghouse, who used his ideas to light up Chicago's 1893 World's Fair. Slavin's old-fashioned pen-and-ink illustrations are well suited to the story and help break the text into manageable chunks. One picture shows Tesla buzzing with light as he demonstrates his Tesla coil in defiance of Edison's smear campaign against him, and he thoughtfully gazes at Niagara Falls in another. While many specifics are lacking, such as when Tesla died and how his inventions worked, young readers will come away with an appreciation of his genius.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist
