YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE SIR ISAAC NEWTON!: A Lonely Life You'd Rather Not Lead, by Ian Graham

Quick Facts:
- illustrated by David Antram
- part of series (You Wouldn't Want to Be . . .)
- 32 pages

"You Wouldn't Want to Be Sir Isaac Newton!: A Lonely Life You'd Rather Not Lead" is part of a series of informational books for children, all of which utilize the device (and titular structure): You Wouldn't Want to Be . . . 

Overall, this is a fun, informational book with a structure entertaining and accessible to children. Simple sentence structure, amusing illustrations, and careful page layout make it developmentally a very appropriate text for mid to upper-elementary students. It includes a table of contents, glossary and index, which makes more easily navigable.

The illustrations lend a great deal of humor and accessibility to the test, while also supporting the information presented in the text:

Though the cartoon is funny, it also reflects the information immediately preceding it: that Isaac Newton's father died before his birth and so he had only his mother, and that he was raised in a manor house. The layout of multiple picture with accompanying text keeps the reader engaged while also moving the story along chronologically:

You'll note that the events depicted move chronologically from top to bottom, through the early years of Isaac Newton's childhood. 

I do, however, have one major reservation about this book. The "You Wouldn't Want to Be . . . " series covers everything from more general subjects (like "You Wouldn't Want to Be A Pirate's Prisoner: Horrible Things You'd Rather Not Know") to specific biographies, like this one on Isaac Newton. The signature device of the series is that they directly address the reader to inform on the lesser-known, often grosser and more outrageous facts of a given topic. This works very well for subjects like pirates, where the "gross-out" factor is actually kind of fascinating, and makes the book a funnier read. With biographies, however, this device words less well.

In this biography of Isaac Newton, the outrageous facts highlighted are things like the personal tragedy of his upbringing (no father, and a mother that abandoned him at a young age) and his individual demons (like battling depression). These do not have a humorous effect, though they certainly support the titular statement. Consider the following:

"YOU ARE a remarkable person, but you have trouble getting along with other people. your obsessions quarrels, and secrets make you lonely and unhappy."
- "You Wouldn't Want to Be Sir Isaac Newton!: A Lonely Life You'd Rather Not Lead", page 5

I take issue with information presented like this. It's one thing to present factually the ups and downs of Newton's life. It's another to spend the book reinforcing the title: "A Lonely Life You'd Rather Not Lead". This suggest that the hardships and lows in Newton's life were not worth the successes. This is a very dangerous message to send to children, who are the book's target audience. Greatness in any field requires hard work and sacrifice, but that does not mean that we should not strive for it.