Inventions

November 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-This panoramic view of significant inventions covers everything from a 1.5 million-year-old hand ax to futuristic Masdar City, a carbon footprint-free metropolis in the United Arab Emirates, scheduled to be completed in 2030. Grouped several per page and more or less chronologically within seven color-coded categories such as "space," "communication," and "at home," entries each include a color photo or historical image; name, date, and country of origin (where known); and a brief description. Along with occasional side boxes and time lines, select figures (polymath Zhang Heng; computer visionary Ada Lovelace) earn closer looks. Several dozen additional profiles of other inventors are gathered together in a closing section. Occasional nods to bubble gum and breakfast cereal, the bra, traveler's checks, the sandwich, and similar sidelights jazz up the parade of technological marvels. VERDICT There are no resource lists in this title, but the high-quality images and a topical rather than chronological or alphabetical arrangement make this substantial survey most suitable for middle and upper elementary grade browsers.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From "early breakthroughs," such as the wheel and the printing press, to bionic hands and space stations, this work offers insight into the what, who, where, and when of inventions. Organized into seven categories and clustered three to four per page, the entries move from stone tools to robot space probes. Inventor highlights (Alfred Nobel, Zhang Heng), fast facts, and "Wow!" boxes appear throughout, with additional short biographies and a glossary at the end. VERDICT Readers from middle school to adult will be engrossed by the brief explanations flowing through photo-rich layouts.