On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein is a truly remarkable book.  Written beautifully by Jennifer Berne and illustrated with delicacy and wit by Vladmir Radunsky, it covers both the physical and imaginative life of Albert Einstein as he grows from a very silent little boy to a quirky genius.  Placed on many top choice lists in 2013 and 2014, this book takes one by surprise as it covers very sophisticated concepts like the theory of relativity in easy to understand ways.  It also presents Einstein as an outlier in his home, school, and country. Yet he doesn’t seem to mind and continues using his remarkable intellect to achieve greatness.  This is a wonderful message for many children who feel out of the mainstream culture with interests that may not be of the norm.  This picture book would be appropriate for children ages 5 and up who are non-fiction fans and/or interested in science.  I read it to an 8 year old girl who loved it.  We had a very interesting conversation about atoms vs. molecules.  Other books in this non-fiction, biographical, picture book group (suggested by Amazon) would be The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Heiligman and The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with Chimps by Winter.  They are next on my list!

Amy Gray