Award-winning author Don Brown explores the history of vaccines from smallpox to COVID-19 in this installment of the Big Ideas That Changed the World series A Shot in the Arm! explores the history of vaccinations and the struggle to protect people from infectious diseases, from smallpox—perhaps humankind’s greatest affliction to date—to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting deadly diseases such as measles, polio, rabies, cholera, and influenza, Brown tackles the science behind how our immune systems work, the discovery of bacteria, the anti-vaccination movement, and major achievements from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who popularized inoculation in England, and from scientists like Louis Pasteur, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, and Edward Jenner, the "father of immunology." Timely and fascinating, A Shot in the Arm! is a reminder of vaccines’ contributions to public health so far, as well as the millions of lives they can still save. Big Ideas That Changed the World is a graphic novel series that celebrates the hard-won succession of ideas that ultimately changed the world. Humor, drama, and art unite to tell the story of events, discoveries, and ingenuity over time that led humans to come up with a big idea and then make it come true. Gr 5 Up-Brown lays out the history of vaccinations in this relevant addition to the "Big Ideas That Changed the World" series. Narrator Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an early Western champion of inoculation, marches readers through the history of smallpox, a highly contagious disease that claimed millions of lives all over the world, leaving survivors disfigured and blind. Born in 1689, Lady Mary had her own children inoculated, having learned of the practice from her time in the Ottoman Empire. When Princess Caroline of Wales discovered it, she commissioned an experiment on prisoners before having her own children safeguarded. This kicked off not only the normalization of inoculation in the Western world but also the critical research that led to safer methods of disease prevention, such as vaccinating people with the less deadly cowpox. Brown travels through time, covering the effective eradication of polio before arriving finally at the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout, he emphasizes there were always those who did not trust scientists and doctors. The U.S. Supreme Court even ruled in the 1880s that Cambridge, MA, had "the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members" by making smallpox vaccination mandatory. The blue and sepia tones add a nostalgic wash to the clean, clear layouts. Brown's decisive tone is at times firm, often playful, and never condescending. VERDICT Shedding light on a topic that's all too timely, this thorough chronicle of vaccination is essential for all libraries.-Abby Bussen, Muskego P.L., WIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. “The arrival of ‘A Shot in the Arm!’ couldn’t be more timely. . . This fascinating and enlightening journey takes us around the world and introduces us to a range of scientific superstars of germ theory and vaccination development. . . The author’s goals are clear and vitally important, and the delivery is lively and engaging.”― The New York Times **STARRED REVIEW** "Thoroughly researched and fascinating, this effort concludes with outstanding backmatter for a rich, accurate examination of the critical role of vaccines. Essential." ― Kirkus Reviews **STARRED REVIEW** "Brown could be considered the format’s premiere historian for young readers; his exhaustive research is always coupled with an understanding of human motivation and an inviting, unostentatious visual style, all while connecting the past to the world we live in now." ― Booklist **STARRED REVIEW** "Shedding light on a topic that’s all too timely, this thorough chronicle of vaccination is essential." ― School Library Journal "Brown’s readers will be ready to contextualize the rapid pace of contemporary research, the calculated risk and anticipated rewards for the first COVID-19 vaccine users, and the repeating theme of public welfare vs. individual rights, as hotly debated now as in the past." ― Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Brown’s typical loose pen and watercolor illustrations, including single pages, double-page spreads, and varied panel layouts, make this well-researched volume—part history, part science— engagingly easy to read." ― The Horn Book Magazine Don Brown is the award-winning author and illustrator of many nonfiction graphic novels and picture books. His many books, including The Great American Dust Bowl, 83 Days in Mariupol , and Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 , have been called “masterful” and “a must for youth graphic collections.” Brown has received an Eisner nomination, two Sibert Honors, a Horn Book Best Book honor, a YALSA award, and multiple starred reviews, among other awards and noti