The Polio Pioneer

ISBN 978-0525646518

Vitally important and delightfully accessible, this informative picture book biography of Dr. Jonas Salk, THE POLIO PIONEER: DR. JONAS SALK AND THE POLIO VACCINE (Knopf, August 2020; illustrations by Lisa Anchin), is undoubtedly timely. Introducing Jonas Salk as a child/grandchild of Jewish immigrants who fled religious persecution in Russia and Lithuania and came to America, the book details – in kid-friendly language - how Jonas Salk wanted to help people and make the world a better place. In 1918, millions of people around the world died from “the flu” - influenza. And for decades, polio terrified Americans, killing or paralyzing thousands each year – often children or babies. After working with his teams to develop vaccines for flu and polio, Dr. Salk continued searching for cures for other diseases, like AIDS and MS.