Genius! The most astonishing inventions of all time

Deborah Kespert

Book - 2015

Genius! tells the stories behind the amazing inventions that helped shape our modern world. Young readers are introduced to the technologies developed by thinkers and inventors such as Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci, Gutenberg, James Watt, the Wright brothers, and Tim Berners-Lee, and the creativity and determination behind their discoveries. The book is divided into five key thematic sections: Pioneers, Communication, Technology, Transport, and Into Space. Read about how the innovators who brought us today s world of communications, the Internet, fast travel, space exploration, and entertainment faced challenges and dangers as they dared to create new machines and technologies. Combining lively, entertaining stories with well-illustrated in...formation on the inventions and their implications, as well as an activities section with mini-experiments for the budding inventor, Genius! brings all the excitement of scientific invention alive for children growing up in an increasingly technology-oriented world.

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Children's Room j609/Kespert Due Apr 18, 2024
Subjects
Published
London : Thames & Hudson Ltd [2015]
Language
English
Main Author
Deborah Kespert (author)
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
96 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 27 cm
ISBN
9780500650431
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In a follow-up to Explore! The Most Dangerous Journeys of All Time (2013), Kespert highlights more than a dozen inventions and discoveries that "have helped to shape the world today." Grouped into categories that include communication, technology, and transportation, they include an earthquake detector created by Chinese inventor Zhang Heng during the Han dynasty, Gutenberg's printing press, and Kevlar, which was invented by DuPont chemist Stephanie Kwolek in 1964 ("one of too few female inventors," writes Kespert). Sidebars, time lines, archival images, and photographs bring additional context to each entry in this succinct, quick-moving overview of some of humanity's more notable achievements. Ages 9-up. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-This look at innovations over the years treads familiar territory. The 21 selections are presented thematically, rather than by when they were created, and are divided into the following chapters: "Pioneers," "Communication," "Technology," "Transport," and "Into Space." Each four-page entry focuses on the product's creator (background, challenges faced) and two or three facts about the invention. There is a full-page illustration or photograph of each inventor, which places them in historical context. Readers will also find information about the uses or changes to the invention in modern times. No new ground is covered here (innovations include the Archimedes screw, telephone, light bulb, airplane, and telescope), and there isn't enough material here for reports. VERDICT Keep Lionel Bender's Invention (DK, 2013), and skip this title.-Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA © Copyright 2015. 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

This solid overview of technology milestones features over twenty inventors and their creations. At least two spreads about each first give basic facts--about, say, Stephanie Kwolek and Kevlar--followed by expansions and updates on the process, with numerous photos and other illustrations throughout. Giving attention to both ideas and inventors, the information is accurate and accessible. Timeline. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.