This latest entry in the Great Idea picture-book series briefly tells of Guglielmo Marconi's invention of the wireless telegraph. Events in Marconi's life are recounted in a straightforward manner, from his childhood in Italy to his successful attempt to send a wireless telegraph message from England to North America. His determination and the support of his family were the key ingredients to his achievement. The final page details how important the wireless telegraph was to the rescue of survivors of the Titanic. While little detail is given about how Marconi made his invention, or the progression of technology poem titled "Radio Days" prefacing the story makes it appear that radio broadcasting was common is noted that communication at sea was not possible until this invention. Some of the figures in the illustrations are crudely drawn to the point of distraction, yet this remains a serviceable introduction to a topic infrequently visited for this age range.

This picture book biography recounts the story of how a young Italian boy became the father of modern wireless technology. Marconi's love of science and his fascination with Ben Franklin's discoveries in electricity led him, through trial and error, to eventually send a message between England and Newfoundland via his wireless telegraph. Mediocre acrylic paintings accompany the brief but informative text.

Gr 2-4 Guglielmo Marconi's childhood fascination with radio waves drove his reading, study, and experimentation. Despite his lack of success in school, he learned from tutors, including a retired telegraph operator who taught him Morse code. Marconi's experiments resulted in devices to send and receive messages over long distances. By the time he was 21, he had invented a wireless telegraph, which he demonstrated in England. Among the users was Queen Victoria, who communicated with her son on the royal yacht. In 1901, Marconi's device made the first transcontinental wireless transmission when a signal from Cornwall, England, reached St. John's, Newfoundland. Kulling's biography ends with that achievement before Marconi turned 30. Curiously, the only example she offers of how his discoveries influenced the future is the role the telegraph played in events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic . Rudnicki's acrylic illustrations do little to enhance the text. The people seem wooden and their surroundings are static. Still, libraries needing additional biographies of inventors to supplement collections might consider this volume since there is little coverage of Marconi for this audience. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato