Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5. In contrast to the many earnest books on inventors and inventions, Williams' large-format volume takes a light approach, presenting information in small parcels and illustrating it with cartoon-style ink-and-watercolor drawings. A few inventors, such as Gutenberg, Marconi, and the Wright brothers, are featured in two- or four-page spreads, which include frame-to-frame narratives about their lives and their most famous achievements. Others are named and briefly identified in small, illustrated boxes as part of a multiperson presentation. For example, the double-page spread on Inventors of Useful Things includes 26 boxes spotlighting inventors of devices such as eyeglasses (1280), the toothpaste tube (1892), and the personal computer (1977). The pages bustle with activity, often marked with a certain zany humor. Characters featured in the longer biographies act out roles and speak bits of dialogue within the frames, while below, a running commentary tells the story, and in the margins, little birds and turtles remark on the stories and add humorous quips. Pair this with Judith St. George's So You Want to Be an Inventor (2002) and give both to budding inventors . --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-This oversize, entertaining book provides the stories behind some of the world's greater and lesser inventions. Beginning with a dedication to Leonardo da Vinci, it includes Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press; James Watt and the steam condenser; the Wright brothers; Guglielmo Marconi and the radio; and John Logie Baird and the television. In addition, there are chapters on useful inventions like toilet paper and postage stamps as well as one on the women responsible for coffee filters, teddy bears, and windshield wipers. Another chapter covers the author's favorite inventions, such as hula hoops, Legos, pencils, and the sandwich. Using a comic-book format, Williams reveals how the inventors got their ideas and sponsors as well as their obstacles and failed attempts. Readers may find some of the information surprising; for instance, in 2002 the U.S. Congress proclaimed Antonio Meucci the true inventor of the telephone. Williams also emphasizes how many inventions build on earlier ones. "Without the radio, no TV. Without the TV, no video. Without the video, no DVD." The pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons are crammed full of clever and humorous details. Animals appear on the borders, offering droll asides and assorted trivia. While the overall effect is appealing, the pages are already quite busy without them. Still, children will enjoy the format and learn some valuable lessons about the history and spirit of invention.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) In her signature comic-book style, Williams takes a light look at inventors, a group she defines as individuals who ""see a need for something and then work away until they find the solution."" Hence, she spotlights inventors of cosmetics (""glamorous women of ancient Egypt"") alongside Earle Dickson (inventor of the Band-Aid in 1920) and Clarence Birdseye (inventor of frozen food, 1924). Eight inventions, including movable type, the light bulb, and the airplane, receive the bulk of her attention in a series of breezy comic strips. Narrative captions under each frame relate historical information, and comical characters add humor through conversation balloons (James Watt's mother asks, ""James, what are you up to?"" The reply: ""Trying to make a steaming cuppa""). A series of animals border the pages with irreverent comments (""Inventions don't come cheap!"" voices one bird. ""Cheap!Cheap! Cheap!"" replies another) that contribute to the busy zaniness. This addictive browsing item might overwhelm those not familiar with the major inventors, but for those with a rudimentary background it offers an enthusiastic approach to an often-pedestrian subject. Indexes of inventors and inventions are appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Dedicating her newest offering to Leonardo da Vinci, "My special hero of invention," Williams sweeps through the entire history of inventions, from ball ("an unknown Stone Age child, c. 40,000 B.C.") to ball-point (Ladislao Biro, 1938). Framing sequential comic book-style panels in banter and bits of fact delivered by a flock of birds, she highlights 11 important figures, adding spreads devoted to women, to "Inventors of Useful Things" and in closing, to several dozen favorites, including such modern necessities as the chocolate bar (François Louis Cailler, 1819) and the self-cleaning house (Frances Gabe, 1950). She's not much for depth of detail, but her brightly colored cartoons, crowded with tiny, expressively drawn figures, create an irresistibly celebratory tone, and by pairing familiar names with lesser-known but no less deserving precursors--Richard Trevithick with George Stephenson, Antonio Meucci with Alexander Graham Bell--she counters the more simplistic accounts common in other titles. An exuberant alternative to Judith St. George's skimpier but more analytical So You Want to Be an Inventor (2002), illus by David Small. (index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
