The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: A Tale of the Genius Ramanujan

In his small Indian village, the child Ramanujan asks: “What is small?... What is big?” He contemplates this problem in creative ways: “A mango is like an egg. It is just one thing. But if I chop it in two, then chop the half in two, and keep on chopping, I get more and more bits... to an infinity I could never ever reach. Yet when I put them back together, I still have just one mango.” Alznauer deftly uses Ramanujan’s ponderings to illustrate complex mathematical concepts, including prime numbers, partitions, and infinite sums. Despite his brilliance (or perhaps because of it), Ramanujan struggles: “ ‘I am like the first man in the world with no one to hear me speak,’ he thought.” Eventually, his genius is recognized—and his work still sparks wonder among mathematicians today. Lush watercolors by Miyares capture the lyrical details of Ramanujan’s world. Ages 5–9. [em](Apr.) [/em]