McCully Emily Arnold. The Eclipse of 1919: How Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity Changed Our World.New York: Christy Ottaviano Books, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025.
What is a theory? Is it an idea or an opinion or a guess? Not for scientists. For scientists, a theory is an explanation of the natural world that is based on repeated, carefully-conducted observations and experiments. An explanation that builds on scientific laws and provable facts.
Albert Einstein, born in Germany in 1879, was not an outstanding student at school. But he was outstanding at thinking about mysterious things. Like what would happen if he travelled faster than the speed of light? Even once he’d graduated from college – fourth in his class of five students – he kept thinking about that question. He had an idea that energy, mass, motion and time were all related.  But how could he find evidence for his idea? How could he conduct an experiment that could be repeated over and over again? Why, an eclipse of the sun!

This brilliant picture book by Emily Arnold McCully tells the story of how Einstein came up with the theory of general relativity and how he tested his theory with the help of astronomers and scientists in England. A prologue and an author’s note provide more information. Wonderful pen and ink and watercolour illustrations greatly enhance this biography for readers eight to thirteen years old. Happily recommended for anyone wanting to understand more about the natural world.

Students conducting research projects: note how the author provides a lengthy list of sources at the end. Always properly list where you found your information! Art students: notice how the layout on each double-page spread shows emotion and creates movement.

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