Children’s Literature Evaluation Form

Your Name: Joanna Simon

Book Title: On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein
Author: Jennifer Berne
Genre: Biography
Illustrator: Vladimir Radunaky. Chronicle
Publisher/Year: 2013
Evaluate the Book for the following elements
Style and Language: Using examples for the book, explain the following: Word
choices, dialogue, rhythm, rhyme and sentence length. Share unexpected insights or
interesting information the reader learns from this story. (5 points)
The author uses red text in between the book keeping the story short and simple with
no rhymes. There are no dialogue between characters. Toward the end of the book
the reader is kept thinking about questions we have about the world.
In the book I learned his personal interests for instance his love for muisc which helpd
him relief stress.
Character: With examples from the book, provide the following- (5 points)
Who is the main character?
How can the reader relate to the character?
Who are the supporting characters?
The main character is Albert Einstein.
As a reader, we grow up asking numerous questions about how things work and why
they work the way they do. We come across people who tell us to stop using our
imagination and just stay quiet.
Supporting characters are his parents and the adults he comes across.
Plot: Summarize the major events of the story (6 points)
When Albert Einstien was born he was a quiet boy for the first couple of years. His
dad gave him a compass where he learned his passion for exploring and discovery the
hidden mysteries of the world. At school he would constantly ask questions annoying
his teacher. As he got older he enjoyed reading books to help him answer all his
questions. The older he got the more he figure out the secrets of the world through
his experiences.
Setting: Explain the place and time of this book. (2 points)
Theme: What is the main message of this book? (2 points)
The book takes place from the beginning of Albert’s existence to him becoming to an
adult.
The theme of the book is to keep being curious without the judgement of others.
Illustration: Analyze the book you selected with the following categories
Style (realism, surrealism, expressionism, impressionism, naïve, cartoon art)? (2
points)
Realism, impressionism, cartoon art
Media Choice (paints, oils watercolors, pencils, pen, charcoal, crayons, acrylic, chalk):
(2 points)
Pen, paint,
Give examples of describe how the following visual elements are used in the
illustrations: (3)
Line: straight
Shapes: circles, squares, triangles, rectangle
Color: dull (tan, black and grey)
Texture: smooth
Page design (placement of the illustrations, use of borders, white and dark space and
all pages the same or different). (3)
The author included some red text above the illustrations. Throughout the book each
page was different; some illustrations take up an entire page.

Child Development Theory: Choose either Piaget, Erickson or Social Emotional to

describe the connection to the book Chose 1 only (5 points)
Piaget:
Name the stage Formal opertional and the age 12years and older
Explain the cognitive development from this stage and provide an example from the
book to support your choice:
Children understands the world through hypothetical thinking and scientific reasoning.
In the book Albert is able to get an idea how the world works through reading books
where he is able to gain more knowledge about the hidden mysterious of the world.
1 would not recommend 2 average 3 highly recommended

Your rating of the book: 3

Why?
I rated this book highly recommended for students since it teaches students about
Albert Einstein's biography all in a children’s book. While the author uses what Albert
went through before he discovered light this also teaches students to continue asking
questions and keep wondering, thinking, and imagining about the world around them.