Polio Epidemic: Crippling Virus Outbreak (American Disasters)

Grades 4-7--Although polio had struck people in the U.S. and Canada as early as 1916, it didn't become an epidemic in this country until 1952, when 58,000 people were stricken by it. Sherrow provides a history of the disease, which dates back thousands of years, and its treatment. She follows with a chapter on the research conducted by Dr. Jonas Salk and his colleagues, resulting in the vaccine that ended the epidemic. The text is readable and has excellent material for reports. The illustrations, with the exception of the over-the-top opening photograph of a young victim, are well researched and informative. The author provides chapter-by-chapter notes, a glossary, and Web sites.
Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY
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