Thomas Jefferson's battle for science Bias, truth, and a mighty moose!

With theatrical flair, Anderson and Holmes lay out a historical contretemps between Jefferson, who took "supreme delight" in science and was an eager observer of the natural world, and renowned French naturalist Buffon over his unsupported claim that, with the mammoth extinct, the New World's wild creatures were uniformly smaller and weaker than those of the Old. Scarlet-faced and with steam blowing out his ears (at least in the illustration), the founding father sets out furiously to prove Buffon wrong, not only by gathering data to disprove such outrageous errors but by sending the pundit tangible evidence, like a whole dead moose and "an enormous panther pelt." The illustrator underscores the narrative's droll, punchy tone by pinning cartoon figures in period dress, images of wildlife, leaf, and bone specimens with handwritten labels, and sheets and scraps with quotes on ruled or raw wooden backgrounds for an untidy scrapbook effect. In the end, Buffon dies before he can publish his promised corrections, but he turns out to be right about the mammoths, to Jefferson's great disappointment. Still, readers will come away knowing more about the multifaceted character of the man who, a few years later, sent out the Lewis and Clark Expedition and, oh yes, became our third president.

As a product of the Age of Reason, Thomas Jefferson was long fascinated by science in general and the natural world in particular. Consequently, when he first read a French encyclopedia by the renowned scientist Comte de Buffon that declared the American colonies inferior because the native animals were neither as large nor as ferocious as their European counterparts, Jefferson questioned Buffon's reasoning -- partly because of the audacious comments, partly because of national pride, and partly because Jefferson did not want to discourage immigration. For years he challenged these assumptions by asking questions; creating counterarguments; conducting experiments (which included the shipping of a dead moose to France to verify its large size); and formulating and publishing his conclusions. In other words, he followed the scientific method, nicely summarized in the back matter. The mixed-media illustrations, crafted with woodblocks and pencil, are highlighted in unusual and effective layouts. The written narrative appears in text boxes, acting either as previews for the often-humorous illustrations (for example, ideas explode from Jefferson's head as he writes his own book challenging Buffon) or as comic panels. A concluding author's note explains the sources and dangers of misinformation and ways to identify and combat such rumors, as well as a timeline of Jefferson's life and a bibliography -- appropriately, for the topic -- divided into primary and secondary sources. Betty CarterMay/June 2024 p.153 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The story of Thomas Jefferson's fury at a French scientist's misinformation about the New World introduces young readers to the scientific inquiry process. While Jefferson and the other American revolutionaries fought for independence from Britain, he undertook a lesser-known battle--against scientific misinformation. Jefferson loved the natural world: He collected fossils and bones and took pride in accurately measuring everything from air temperature to the weight of catfish. So it was galling to him when French scientist Count Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon published an encyclopedia declaring the New World "swampy and cold," with small bears and "puny" wolves--inferior to Europe. Anderson cleverly juxtaposes Buffon's faulty scientific claims alongside Jefferson's colorful outrage: "Hogwash!" "Poppycock!" She succinctly lays out Jefferson's critique: Buffon had never been to the New World--was he biased? Where did he get his information? To convince Buffon of his errors, Jefferson sought evidence--measurements of New World animals, pelts to prove their existence, even an actual moose. Holmes wittily presents Jefferson's inquiries through comic-book panels depicting heads exploding with arguments set against sepia-colored notebook pages. In an author's note, Anderson calls out Jefferson for his bias as the owner of enslaved persons and for his lack of forethought in how Americans' exploration of the Louisiana Purchase would affect Indigenous people. A delightfully enlightening account and a welcome antidote to our own time's precarious truthiness. (timeline of Thomas Jefferson's life, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.