Nikola-Lisa, W. How We Are Smart. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. Lee & Low, 2006. ISBN
1584302542. $16.95. 32 p.
Reviewer: Gillian Streeter
Reading Level: Primary, Intermediate, All
Rating: Outstanding
Genre: Picture books; Biographies; Poetry;
Subject: Multiple intelligences--Juvenile poetry; Biography--Juvenile poetry; Intellect--Juvenile
poetry; Books--Reviews;
Everyone has a different way of learning, understanding, and being smart. How We Are
Smart looks at twelve famous, successful people and their areas of excellence. The book
examines eight types of intelligence or ways of being "smart": body smart, logic smart, nature
smart, people smart, picture smart, self smart, and word smart. The culturally diverse people
profiled include civic leaders, artists, poets, and scientists.
This book is a straightforward approach to the growing idea of different intelligences and
paraphrases Howard Gardener's eight intelligences theory. Each individual's entry begins with a quote by the individual, a short rhyming poem, and then a brief biography paragraph; all of this is opposite a page with an illustration of the individual. The book ends with an outline of the eight intelligences covered in the book, activities, further reading, and resources for caregivers and educators. Adults should read this with children, as some of the words and concepts are challenging.
