Samuel Morse was a painter and an American inventor who invented the telegraph key which forever changed communication. The biography describes his childhood, his life as a painter and inventor, and includes information on the Morse code and making a telegraph key. All quotations in the book are from Morse's writings. Now back in print, this new edition, revised and updated, will enchant readers seeking narrative biographies.REVIEWS"An appealing biography and an introduction to the telegraph and Morse code. Kerby describes how Morse overcame opposition and changed the world, emphasizing his persistence and spirit of experimentation. Clearly written instructions for the construction of a simple telegraph follow the narrative . . . An excellent choice, especially for those struggling to find quality nonfiction for younger and reluctant readers." School Library Journal Mona Kerby writes award-winning fiction, nonfiction, and picture books for children. She is a college professor and has been a kindergarten teacher and an elementary school librarian. She has received the Texas Library Association Siddie Joe Johnson Award for outstanding achievement in children's library service, the Outstanding Teacher Award at Little Elementary School, and the Outstanding Teacher Award at McDaniel College in Maryland where she holds the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair in Education and Graduate and Professional Studies.Her 38 Weeks Till Summer Vacation won the Minnesota Maud Hart Lovelace Award and was nominated to the master lists of the South Dakota Prairie Pasque Award and the Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award. She has written biographies on Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Samuel Morse, and Beverly Sills. Her books Asthma and Cockroaches were named Outstanding Trade Books for Students in K-12 in Science. Owney, the Mail-Pouch Pooch won the California Young Readers Award and the Vermont Red Clover Award; was nominated to five state reading award lists in Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee; was named to the Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year List; and received the Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award. See www.monakerby.com for more information.
