This very visual biography of Robert J. Oppenheimer reads a bit like The History Channel for kids. Lots of full-page photos and tangential sidebars are provided to add context but more often fell scattered and unrelated -- a fill page and another sidebar about how the creator of Curious George had to escape Europe during the war doesn't really connect with the text in any meaningful way.

This is part of a new series called What in the World? and after you've read a few of them you'll be wondering the same thing. ( )