Galileo's Treasure Box

Galileo's Treasure Box by Catherine Brighton [with an introduction by Dava Sobel of Galileo's Daughter and Longitude fame] is a great children's book that will hopefully enjoy a wider readership the second time around. Originally titled Five Secrets In A Box [1987, E.P. Dutton], the book tells the story of Virginia, eldest daughter of Galileo Galilei, and her curiosity about some items her father kept in a gold box. Through a simple text and exquisitely done illustrations, Brighton gives you a view of what it would have been like to be a curious kid in the house of a scientist during the time he made his great discoveries. Virginia finds the lenses for a telescope, colored filters for viewing the sun, and a feather, all in a gold box on her dad's desk. The book leaves Virginia asking why her dad would keep a feather and this will leave the door open for a young, curious reader to find out more. I fell in love with the book when it originally came out and gave many copies as presents. Later, when the original hardback was remaindered, I bought all the copies from several local bookstores and continued to give them as presents. If you know a young reader with readers for parents, give the child a copy of the delightful Galileo's Treasure Box by Catherine Brighton and give their folks a copy of the equally delightful Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel. Hopefully many people, young and old, will discover the story of Virginia and Galileo Galilei.