4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very entertaining,yet informative, reading for young readers, July 7, 2003
This review is from: The Story of the Incredible Hulk (DK Readers, Level 4) (Paperback)
The entertainment value of this basic summary of the Incredible Hulk's story in Marvel Comics is high, and should certainly capture the attention of the proficient young readers. It's quite literate with good vocabulary for the reading level. Importantly, though it's fun. While conveying the spirit of the comic book character, Teitelbaum brings in related bits of information aimed at increasing the young reader's knowledge while stimulating youthful curiosity into learning more about the Hulk's literary predecessers, about early concerns about nuclear energy, about the cold war and its anxieties, about the fields of scientific research along with other topics.
The emphasis though is on entertainment which is what should draw the young readers into reading it, strengthening reading skills and expanding their knowledge at the same time.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book for young readers, March 19, 2005
This review is from: The Story of the Incredible Hulk (DK Readers, Level 4) (Paperback)
I remember reading the first few issues of the Incredible Hulk comic book when they first came out. The early sixties were an incredible time for the development of new comic book characters. This was the most intense phase of the cold war and humans were beginning to send probes and people into space. Some of the dangers of exposure to radioactivity were known, but enough was unknown so that the comic developers could use it as a basis for the development of superpowers.
The cold war and radiation form the foundation for the origin of the Hulk. Dr. Bruce Banner is working on an enhanced radiation nuclear bomb. It produces a large amount of gamma rays and when a Soviet spy betrays Banner, the bomb goes off and Banner is engulfed with gamma rays. They change his body so that he is transformed into a large, powerful green being. In later issues of Marvel comics, exposure to gamma rays is repeatedly used to create additional mighty beings.
While I liked the lesson in the history of comic book characters, the best part of the book is the lessons in history and science. Teielbaum spends some time explaining the cold war, the fifties "duck and cover" that all American school children practiced on a regular basis, the power of nuclear weapons, and animals that are relevant to the cartoon characters. This is a lesson about the world that children will find very easy to absorb.
Children generally love comic books and if they are properly done, they can also learn science and history. This is a book that is properly done and it can be used as a science lesson/entertainment interlude in the later years of elementary school.
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