Meet Frederick Banting

Another brilliant Scholastic Canada Biography by Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas. This time readers learn all about one of Canada’s greatest doctors in Meet Frederick Banting.

Many things inspired Frederick Banting to become a doctor but none more than his childhood best friend, Jennie, who had diabetes and died when she was very young. His life took him to many places but he is remembered best as the person who discovered insulin and sold the patent to the University of Toronto for $1 to ensure this life saving medication was always affordable to those who need it.

Many Canadians are familiar with the name Frederick Banting and know that he and Charles Best discovered insulin but most of us don’t know the how or the why. This informative biography fills in the blanks between Fred’s childhood, his discovery and what happened in his life after. The text is perfectly age appropriate for young readers and incredibly engaging. It’s not a boring or stuffy story and Elizabeth MacLeod makes it feel like you are reading about a cherished friend. She fills readers in on who Fred was beyond just a researcher, how he was as a doctor and what he liked to do in his spare time.

 As always, the back matter contains a timeline, which we love, as well as photos from Fred’s life. 

Mike Deas does a wonderful job in the illustrations to capture Fred and his friends and coworkers in an engaging and realistic way. I love how the story feels new while also reflecting the distant past. It can be hard for young readers to picture a time so far in the past and Mike Deas wonderfully captures the late 1800s and early 1900s.