Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4^-7. There's no organization to speak of, neither chronological nor alphabetical. However, this very attractive, informative book will find an audience among browsers and report writers alike. Ten women and two girls are given a few pages each. Included are Mary Anderson, who invented the windshield wiper (after she was told it wouldn't work); Ruth Wakefield, who, by throwing chunks of chocolate in her cookie batter, gave Toll House cookies to the world; and young Becky Schroeder, who invented Glo-paper because she wanted to write in the dark. The text is written in a fresh, breezy manner, but it is the artwork that is really outstanding. Melissa Sweet's mixed-media collages almost jump off the pages. For instance, the chocolate-chip cookie recipe is handwritten on a card, which sits on the page of an old cookbook, pasted to a wooden cutting board, set against an old-fashioned tablecloth. Watercolor portraits of the inventors also appear in each chapter, along with historical material or drawings of individual objects. The endpapers list women inventors, beginning at 3000 B.C., when silk was invented by a Chinese empress. The final section tells girls how to patent their inventions, and an informed bibliography and Web site list will help them do just that. --Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
PW called this compilation of personal profiles "an inspired ode to women inventors." Ages 8-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-This updated edition of the 2000 collective biography showcases greater diversity in its representation of women inventors. Each chapter focuses on challenging problems that spark creative solutions that have changed, or promise to change, the world. Most of the subjects from the original are retained, now balanced with women of color and women from outside the United States. New profiles include Alissa Chavez, a Latinx teen who invented the Hot Seat to prevent infant deaths in hot cars; Azza Abdelhamid Faiad, an Egyptian teen who devised a method of turning recycled plastic into fuel; and Kiara Nirghin, a South African teen who came up with a way to fight drought using the absorbency of orange peels. Thimmesh profiles young inventors who are trying to solve contemporary problems,with creations that rely on modern technology. Many of them raise capital for their projects via crowdfunding, which will likely inspire readers. Expanded resources for aspiring scientists and a time line that emphasizes more recent inventions are welcome changes. Tweaks to the original artwork and additions in the same collage style are fun and creative. In a growing marketplace of works about women transforming the world, this title holds its own. VERDICT Update shelves with this revised version, and add to any library needing more titles about women in STEM.-Alex Graves, Manchester City Library, NH © Copyright 2019. 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 updated version of Thimmeshs collection of profiles of female inventors (fifteen in all) eliminates three outdated chapters and spotlights seven new inventions created since the originals 2000 publication (Trisha Prabhus anti-bullying ReThink app; Alissa Chavezs Hot Seat sensor to protect kids from being forgotten in hot cars). Todays readers will find a laudable increase in the subjects diversity as well as a more contemporary focus. The many personal interviewsemploy[ing] a conversational tone noted in the original Horn Book review (May/June 2000) remain, as does the emphasis on accomplishments over personality. Sweet has added vibrant collages to the new chapters as well as to some of the old ones. The refreshed design also includes additions to the timeline of womens inventions. A resource as informative as it is empowering. shoshana flax (c) Copyright 2018. 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.
