Alessandro Volta: Batteries Not Included

Gr 4 Up—This is a brief summary of the achievements of Volta, who invented the gas lamp after researching methane gas. Volta's colleague, Luigi Galvani, noticed dead frogs would move when stimulated by electric current. Volta disagreed with Galvani's theory why this happened and believed it had to do with the two metals involved, one from the clamp holding the frog and the other the instrument touching the frog. From said experiments, Volta invented the battery, a major building block for science. The short film's visuals are reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's cut-out animations from Monty Python. The unidentified narrator tries to come across as enthusiastic, but is over-the-top. The scientific information seems sound, though the script is festooned with jokes only fourth graders may find funny. Some issues brought up are left unresolved, with a brief mention of the negative effects of batteries on the environment.—C. A. Fehmel, St. Louis County Library, MO