Jonas Salk

Jonas Salk: The Battle Against Polio, will introduce young readers to one of the epic efforts of the 20th century: the campaign to find a polio vaccine. In this book, students are invited to take part in a discussion about the history of vaccines, social policy and medical ethics. Jonas Salk: The Battle Against Polio is more than a biography. It is a window into the relationship between science and society.

The book reviews the contributions of vaccine pioneers such as Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner. It discusses the difference between vaccines that use attenuated viruses and those that use killed viruses. The terminology in the book is very accessible. The tone is congenial. Difficult words are underlined and defined in the back of the book. This makes the book suitable for students as young as nine and those who may be in middle school, or even high school.

The issues addressed in Jonas Salk: The Battle Against Polio are relevant today. Concern about the safety of vaccines has led many to reject this health intervention. Are safety concerns legitimate? Are vaccines essential to public health? This book will give students the background information to consider these questions intelligently.

A brief map study section is included, as are a reading skills challenge and a vocabulary challenge.

As with all Rhythm Prism books, the text is accompanied by pictures that add interest and information. With the addition of these pictures, a student is more likely to be engaged than would be the case with a book that has many pages of unbroken text.

Jonas Salk: The Battle Against Polio will leave a lasting impression on students and will provide them with a foundation for understanding basics concepts about immunity and modern healthcare issues.