First Look at a Black Hole: (Captured History)

About the Book

On-point historical photographs combined with strong narration bring the story of the first photograph of a black hole to life. Kids will learn why it was so hard to take a photo of something so dark it does not reflect light, and so far away it could barely be reached. Primary source quotations bring the amazing accomplishment to life.

About the Author :
Danielle Smith-Llera grew up in coastal Virginia, hearing unforgettable tales about her Mexican and Irish ancestors. She first moved overseas to teach in international schools in Hungary and Brazil. Life in the U.S. Foreign Service has taken her around the world to live in India, Jamaica, Romania, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Washington, DC. She loves sharing stories--fiction, nonfiction, and a mixture of both--in classrooms, museum exhibits, and, of course, books.

Review :
This unique series discusses two familiar topics through a new lens. The books provide standard information and focus on photography. The Wright Brothers' early lives and tireless engineering experiments are showcased, and the history of human flight is traced back to the ancient Greeks. Readers will also learn the name of the photographer who captured the historic flight, the type of camera used, and the importance of photographic evidence. Photography gets more technical when the subject is 53 million light-years away. And so does the language. While First Look at a Black Hole details the nature of a black hole and explains what we know about this space element, a lot of the text examines how radio telescopes work. Readers will marvel at the global cooperation, time, and sheer luck required to make the photo work. VERDICT Young readers could have difficulty digesting this series because of the technical terminology and the amount of information. Casual readers may opt for something lighter. However, kids interested in the subjects will learn something new.--Cathy DeCampli, Haddonfield Public Library, NJ "School Library Journal" Because seeing is believing for many, a photograph can make all the difference. These latest books in the reliable Captured History series highlight the impact of photography in the fields of science and technology. While each book focuses on the single, iconic photograph that now represents the historic event, a plethora of large-scale images provide more context. The photographs and accompanying, accessible text are all set against a white background in a tidy layout. First in Flight gives an overview of the Wright brothers' pioneering efforts in flight, from their early aviation designs to their experiments and takeoff in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to their success in the airplane business. The book also emphasizes the Wrights' decision to document their successes--and failures--through photography and how these photographs were needed to prove their aviation achievements. First Look at a Black Hole recounts how the Event Horizon Telescope, actually an array of telescopes in eight locations in the U.S., Mexico, Chile, Spain, and Antarctica, produced the first photograph of a black hole in 2017. It explains not only the physics of black holes and Einstein's theories about them but how the photograph helped confirm these theories. Concluding with a visual time line, these volumes turn STEM into STEAM.--Angela Leeper "Booklist"