This is the best picture book I have found that covers Newton's life as a whole, instead of focusing on one or two specifics. Amazon lists the reading age at 4-8 years, but the School Library Journal's listing for grades 3-5 seems more appropriate. The text is interesting and readable, with quoted words and phrases integrated into the narrative. It covers his accomplishments, and acknowledges his flaws, giving a well-rounded introduction to an interesting man.

There are chapter-like headings to break up the text, but the divisions are very uneven, with several sections being a page or two and others closer to ten pages. If you were going to read this aloud in multiple sessions, you may want to plan your readings and breaks in advance. There are also two sidebar-style pages with information on Galileo and another on Kepler. There are no source notes, but there is an annotated bibliography at the end. Overall, a great picture book biography! ( )

This book is a biography of the life and discoveries of Isaac Newton. It gives context for the time he lived in, tells about him as a person, and shares the details of his various contributions to science, including clearing up misconceptions. This book integrates both social studies and science as well as, of course, literacy. Although it is a picture book, it is divided up into chapters and is a bit longer, both of which would help prepare students to move towards reading science textbooks. The way this book talks about Isaac Newton could potentially be very inspiring for young people who may decide they want to pursue science as well, or even just keep a curious mind like Newton. ( )

This book is about the life of Isaac Newton. At a young age, Isaac Newton was a peculiar boy who preferred to draw pictures and think instead of socializing with his peers. He loved to observe the world around him and come up with theories to explain what was happening. As he grew up, he went to school, learned to read, and worked with a chemist in an apothecary, which fueled more of his curiosities about the world. I like this book because it gives children an idea of what the life of a famous scientist is like. It also incorporates some science content when it details Newton’s theories. I think this book can give people the identity of being successful, especially if they are more quiet and thoughtful types, because Isaac Newton was also that way. I think this is also a good way to sneak science content into a curriculum while doing a unit about biographies. I would read this to a class as a read-aloud book, because it is written in a way that is easily understandable. This can also be a choice book for a biography unit or a unit about physics/physical science. ( )

This book was very informative, however I did not like the way the book was set up. In the book, it would jump back and forth from talking about Isaac Newton and his childhood to other scientists that he looked up to. While I realize it is important to talk about these scientists as well, I think it takes away from the content of the book and is jammed packed with too much information about too many people. I don't think I would read this biography to my class because I think this book might overwhelm children, especially in younger grades. ( )

Genre: bibliography
Newton's Rainbow tells the story of young Isaac―always reading, questioning, observing, and inventing―and how he eventually made his way to Cambridge University, where he studied the work of earlier scientists and began building on their accomplishments. This colorful picture book biography celebrates Newton's discoveries that illuminated the mysteries of gravity, motion, and even rainbows, discoveries that gave mankind a new understanding of the natural world, discoveries that changed science forever. ( )