The book Galileo by Leonard Everett Fisher chronicles the life of the famous Renaissance scientist. Background information is presented at the beginning about the theories of Aristotle and Copernicus about the center of the universe. The author does a great job not only summarizing the events of Galileo’s life but also some of his most famous experiments. Galileo challenged Aristotle’s theory that two objects of different weights fall at different speeds. “He dropped two balls of different weights at the same time from the same height at the top of a building, possibly the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A crowd of students and professors watched the balls land together. Those who were loyal followers of Aristotle refused to believe what they saw.” The author describes Galileo’s use of a “spyglass” to view the stars and planets in detail as well as the reactions of the Church. The illustrations throughout the book – all black and white – are amazing!
Curriculum Connections
This book can be used in instruction to teach students about planning and conducting investigations (2.1, 3.1, 4.1) and other general science process skills.
Additional Resources
- Recreate Galileo’s famous Gravity experiment for yourself!
- View actual portraits of Galileo on the Galileo Project site
- Use this site to create your own Pendulum experiment like Galileo’s.
- Learn more about other early astronomers and scientists.
General Information
Book: Galileo
Author: Leonard Everett Fisher
Illustrator: Leonard Everett Fisher
Publisher: Atheneum
Publication date: 1992
Pages: 32
Grade Range: 1-5
ISBN: 978-0027352351