Stinky Sanitation Inventions

November 1, 2013

Gr 2-4-This set is a browsers' delight as well as a rich resource for science or pop-history report writers. The volumes each pair breezy but factual accounts of the development of 10 to 12 common items with a mix of modern and period images or photos. Familiar as the inventions are (e.g., blue jeans, Band-Aids, Botox, toilet paper, and instant replay), the stories of their creations are often not so easy to discover. The generous annotated resource lists at the end of each volume add further value.

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 3-5 This entry in the Awesome Inventions You Use Every Day series offers an up-close look at inventions that handle poop (and other garbage) problems. With topics from flushable and portable toilets to garbage trucks and landfills, Marsico takes readers on a smelly tour that roams widely, both historically and geographically. Each topic gets one relatively short but well-written page of text and a full-page photo with several captions. Although the color pictures are often interesting, the brevity of the text may leave readers wishing there was space for more information. On the bright side, this will lure kids to the Further Information page so that they can delve further into the topics of toilet paper, pooper-scoopers, and, thankfully, air fresheners.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)