Along Came Galileo

by Jeanne Bendick

A terrific book to introduce children to a great scientist, some of his scientific forebears, and his significant scientific ideas and discoveries. - Cathy Duffy Reviews

One of the most important figures to come out of the awakening world of the Renaissance was Galileo Galelei. Galileo was forever asking questions. Is it possible to measure heat? Can you weigh air? Does the earth stand still or does it move? How fast do objects fall to the earth? These questions, and his answers to them, led to some of the most important discoveries ever in astronomy, physics, mathematics, and the natural world.

Among his many accomplishments Galileo advanced the astronomical telescope and invented the compound microscope. He measured the rotation of the sun, invented the thermometer, a geometrical compass, and the pendulum clock. He was a man of faith, a lover of art and an accomplished artist. He played the lute and enjoyed working in his garden. He was the first to see, through the lens of the telescope, the sights and wonders of our galaxy that moved him to profound gratitude to God. He was so ahead of his time that his discoveries caused him to be the object of persecution and injustice.

Through her whimsical illustrations and her bright and engaging text Jeanne Bendick has provided the middle reader with Galileo's inspiring story.

Genres: Science, Biography, History, Astronomy, Childrens, School, Nonfiction

95 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Jeanne Bendick was born February 25, 1919, in New York City. When she was growing up, her grandfather taught her how to draw. He often took her to the American Museum of Natural History in New York to see the different kinds of art.

In her books, Jeanne Bendick liked to make her drawings very simple. In many of her books, she helps her readers see how science is a part of everyday life. With her words and pictures, she takes things that are complicated and makes them easy to understand.

Jeanne Bendick wrote over 100 books and also wrote filmstrip and television scripts.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read with my upper elementary aged kids.

[Rose H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for school that breaks down the history of one of the greatest scientists ever to walk the earth and explains in a clear and understandable way. With each chapter it walks through Galileo’s life, from birth to death. It would be a great book for younger ages as well. I do hope though that in later years I will read a more detailed book about Galileo’s history.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read aloud for science.

[Jenna Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pre reading for the upcoming school year has begun. This was an interesting read with a lot of information about Galileo I didn't know. My 5th grader will read it as part of history in the fall.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud biography for all the kids in morning time. Very engaging!

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids and I loved reading about his life while studying astronomy this semester of school for science. We are also lucky that our local museum of science and industry had a movie/documentary field trip on the history of the telescope. Galileo was brace to stand for truth that he had discovered while the whole world was against him. He had to stand up against the church too and risk his life in sharing his observations.

[Mummy Cat Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a recommended read by TGATB space science unit.

We made it to chapter 4. My children seemed to like this book okay for the first few chapters. Some are longer than others. Unfortunately, I decided to scrap this book because I felt like the information about Gailieo was just repeating itself.

My children enjoyed learning about him but there's just so much you can say. I think we will try again with this book when we come back around to this space unit.

Overall, not a complete waste but not a very exciting or entertaining book. There are illustrations that are small but at least one on a page. The book reads easily enough for a biography…which is what it really is. I think I found it to be more interesting than my children. They became bored.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along Came Galileo is a biography aimed at upper elementary age kids. It’s easy to read and while short, it covers all the main points of Galileo’s life. It includes quotes from Galileo at the end of each chapter and an index at the end. I recommend this book for kids studying Galileo or famous scientists.

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short biography of Galileo is engaging and interesting, and it did a good job of explaining the conflict between Galileo and the church and the viewpoints on both sides. There are quotes from Galileo at the end of each chapter, which was a nice touch. The illustrations are simple black and white drawings, but very helpful. I’ll be looking for more of Jeanne Bendick’s books. 4th grade and up.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a school read with my 10 and 11 year old. It was a good book which introduced and told the overview of Galileo's life. It had just enough details for the ages of my children to follow without getting lost. I felt I did indeed learn a bit more about Galileo than I did before, but as a whole the book was a bit dry and wasn't my favorite read.

[Jake Luciano · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was about Galileos life and his big accomplishes, like the telescope. But it was mostly about his life and his family and what happened and all the little details. If you want to used for school it is good and I recommend it. But if you are looking for something fun, I would not recommend this book.

[Myla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it was pretty good. Its not one of my favorites but it wasn't bad. It's better than some of the other books I've read for school and that's saying something. It's basically a biography of Galileo Galilei and it was very insightful.

[Matt Daq · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is aimed at teenagers so super easy read. Interesting to read about Galileo using his scientific findings to go you against the world view at the time. Also interesting to read about his run ins with the church as they believe his findings didn’t align with scripture.

[Colin Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was mostly about Galileo and the telescope.

[Selina Bloomfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids and I enjoyed reading this while doing a homeschool unit on astronomy. It covers all the important parts of Galileo’s life and it was fun to learn more about him.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple narrative and explanations of Galileo's inventions and life. Fun illustrations. Quick read.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Jeanne Bendick's writing for kids. Very informative and straight to the point, but without feeling overly simplified. Will be reading more of her.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. I love it.

[Amy T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my kids as part of the History of Science curriculum from Beautiful Feet. It is a thorough and interesting summary of Galileo's life, including plenty of historical context.

[risa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

[Rachael Stoldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really simple but interesting story of Galileo’s life and work. I would highly recommend if you are studying Galileo.

[Laurie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book to read about Galileo that we used in our Dialectic homeschool history studies.

[Amie Geyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable little book. I think I learned as much as the boys did.

[Noelani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick bio about Galileo to support our Astronomy studies.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry, but still enjoyable! Seems to be written for younger kids; maybe under 10, or younger yet.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good. It’s informative a well written, teaching you a lot about Galileo. I would recommend it for kids about 3rd-6th grade.

[Kate Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written for children, but enjoyable for all ages. Galileo was an absolute icon. The plight of scientists is never over in the face of groups in power that wish to stay in control.

[⟡⋆ 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝓀ℯ𝓎 ℳℴ𝓊𝓈ℯ ⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆ •littlefox•]

0 stars lol

[Carrie Gaynor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good exhaustive read for upper elementary.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavy on facts. Not as engaging for our younger listeners (5 and 7) but interesting and we did enjoy.