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Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane
By Kirsten W. Larson, Illustrated by Tracy Subisak
Emma Lilian Todd’s mind was always soaring–she loved to solve problems. Lilian tinkered and fiddled with all sorts of objects, turning dreams into useful inventions. As a child, she took apart and reassembled clocks to figure out how they worked. As an adult, typing up patents at the U.S. Patent Office, Lilian built the inventions in her mind, including many designs for flying machines. However, they all seemed too impractical.
Lilian knew she could design one that worked. She took inspiration from both nature and her many failures, driving herself to perfect the design that would eventually successfully fly. Illustrator Tracy Subisak’s art brings to life author Kirsten W. Larson’s story of this little-known but important engineer. 7-10 years
Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo daVinci
by Gene Barretta
In 1781, Thomas Paine came up with a model for a single-span bridge. In 1887, Adolf Eugen Fick made the first pair of contact lenses. And in 1907, Paul Comu built the first helicopter. But Leonardo da Vinci thought of all these ideas more than five hundred years ago! At once an artist, inventor, engineer, and scientist, da Vinci wrote and drew detailed descriptions of what would later become hang gliders, automobiles, robots, and much more. In Neo Leo, Gene Barretta shows how Leonardo’s ideas — many inspired by his love of nature — foreshadowed modern inventions, offering a window into the future.
The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth
by Kathleen Krull, Illustrated by George Couch
Plowing a potato field in 1920, a 14-year-old boy from Idaho saw in the parallel rows of overturned earth a way to “make pictures fly through the air.” This boy was not a magician. He was a scientific genius. Just eight years later he made his brainstorm in the potato field a reality. He transmitted the world’s first television image.
Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor
By Laurie Wallmark, Illustrated by Katy Wu
To her adoring public, Hedy Lamarr was a glamorous movie star, widely considered the most beautiful woman in the world. But in private, she was something more: a brilliant inventor. And for many years only her closest friends knew her secret. Now Laurie Wallmark and Katy Wu tell the story of how, during World War Two, Lamarr developed a groundbreaking communications system that still remains essential to the security of today’s technology.
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became An Inventor
by Emily Arnold McCully
With her sketchbook labeled My Inventions and her father’s toolbox, Mattie could make almost anything — toys, sleds, and a foot warmer. When she was just twelve years old, Mattie designed a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off textile looms and injuring workers. As an adult, Mattie invented the machine that makes the square-bottom paper bags we still use today.
George Ferris What A Wheel
by Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Jerry Hoare
Have you ever ridden a Ferris wheel? You can see for miles! But when the inventor of the Ferris wheel, George Ferris, first pitched the idea, everyone thought he was crazy. A 250-foot bicycle wheel that goes around and around and can carry 2,160 people in train size cars at the same time? Can’t be done, they said. But George proved them wrong. Teacher Guide available at: https://barbaralowell.com/teacher-guide-2/
George Crum and the Saratoga Chip
by Gaylia Taylor, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Who invented the potato chip? George Crum did as a chef in a Saratoga Springs, New York restaurant in 1853. Who knew the potato chip was that old?
Papa’s Mechanical Fish
by Candace Fleming, Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Clink! Clankety-bang! Thump-whirr! That’s the sound of Papa at work. Although he is an inventor, he has never made anything that works perfectly. That’s because he hasn’t yet found a truly fantastic idea. But when he takes his family fishing on Lake Michigan, his daughter Virena asks, “Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a fish? Papa is off to his workshop. With a lot of persistence and a little bit of help, Papa — who is based on the real-life inventor Lodner Phillips — creates a submarine that can take his family for a trip to the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine
by Laurie Wallmark, Illustrated by Amy Chu
Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, develops her creativity through science and math. When she meets Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first mechanical computer, Ada understands the machine better than anyone else and writes the world’s first computer program.
Eat My Dust! Henry Ford’s First Race
by Monica Kulling, Illustrated by Richard Walz
It’s 1901 and Henry Ford wants to build a car that everyone can own. But first he needs the money to produce it. How will he get it. He enters a car race, of course!
A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver
by Aliki
Award winning author and illustrator Aliki tells George Washington Carver’s story in this beautifully told and illustrated picture book.
Thomas Edison and His Bright Idea
by Patricia Brennan DeMuth, Illustrated by Jez Tuya
As a curious child who was always asking questions, it’s no wonder Thomas Edison grew up to become a famous, prolific inventor. This easy-to-read nonfiction story follows Edison from his time in school to his career as a full-time inventor. Edison’s discoveries will fascinate and inspire all curious young minds!
Who Were The Wright Brothers?
by James Buckley, Jr., Illustrated by Tom Foley
As young boys, Orville and Wilbur Wright loved all things mechanical. As young men, they gained invaluable skills essential for their success by working with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and any sort of machinery they could get their hands on. The brothers worked together to invent, build, and fly the world’s first successful airplane. These aviation pioneers never lost sight of their dream to fly and to soar higher!
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
John, Paul, George & Ben
by Lane Smith
Once there were four lads…John [Hancock], Paul [Revere], George [Washington], and Ben [Franklin]. Oh yes, there was also Tom [Jefferson], but he was annoyingly independent and hardly ever around. These lads were always getting into trouble for one reason or another. In other words, they took a few…liberties. And to be honest, they were not always appreciated. This is the story of five little lads before they became five really big Founding Fathers.
The Founding Fathers!: Those Horse-Ridin’, Fiddle-Playin’, Book-Readin’, Gun-Totin’ Gentlemen Who Started America
By Jonah Winter, Illustrated by Barry Blitt
Tall! Short! A scientist! A dancer! A farmer! A soldier! The founding fathers had no idea they would ever be called the “founding Fathers,” and furthermore they could not even agree exactly on what they were founding! Should America declare independence from Britain? “Yes!” shouted some. “No!” shouted others. “Could you repeat the question?” shouted the ones who either hadn’t been listening or else were off in France having fun, dancin’ the night away.
Slave owners, abolitionists, soldiers, doctors, philosophers, bankers, angry letter-writers—the men we now call America’s Founding Fathers were a motley bunch of characters who fought a lot and made mistakes and just happened to invent a whole new kind of nation. And now here they are, together again, in an exclusive engagement!
Will You Sign Here John Hancock?
by Jean Fritz, Illustrated by Trina Scart Hyman
Everyone knows that John Hancock was one of the first signers of the Declaration of Independence. But not many know that he signed his name so large to show how mad he was about how the colonists had been treated. This witty book highlights little-known facts about this historical figure.
Those Rebels, John & Tom
by Barbara Kerley, Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
John Adams & Thomas Jefferson were very different. John was short and stout. Tom was tall and lean. John was argumentative and blunt. Tom was soft-spoken and polite. John sometimes got along with almost no one. Tom got along with just about everyone. But these two very different gentlemen did have two things in common: They both cared deeply about the American colonies, and neither cared much for the British tyrant, King George.
The Founding Fathers Were Spies!
By Patricia Lakin, Illustrated Valerio Fabbretti
Before he was the President of the United States, George Washington was a spy! It’s true…and he wasn’t the only one! During the American Revolution, founding fathers like Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin sent secret messages rolled up in quill pens, used invisible ink, and wrote in secret codes to keep important information from getting into British hands. In George Washington’s top-secret spy ring, a woman named Anna Strong sent secret messages to other spies by hanging laundry on a clothesline!
Without spies, Americans might still speak with British accents: find out how and why it happened in this book that includes a special extend-the-learning section with activities about the science behind invisible ink, how to make a secret code, and more!
Who Was Paul Revere?
by Roberta Edwards, Illustrated by John O’Brien
In 1775, Paul Revere of Boston made his now-famous horseback ride warning colonists of an impending attack by the British. This event went largely unnoticed in history until Longfellow celebrated it in a poem in 1861. So who was Paul Revere? In addition to being an American patriot, he was a skilled silversmith and made false teeth from hippo tusks! This biography brings to life Paul Revere’s thrilling ride as well as the personal side of the man and the exciting times in which he lived.
George Washington and the General’s Dog
By Frank Murphy, Illustrated by Richard Walz
Boom! Bang! Guns fire! Cannons roar! George Washington is fighting in the America Revolution when he sees a dog lost on the battlefield. Whose dog is it? How will it find its master? Early readers will be surprised to find out what happens in this little-known true story about America’s first president.
George Washington’s Teeth
by Deborah Chandra & Madeleine Comora, Illustrated by Brock Cole
From battling toothaches while fighting the British to having rotten teeth removed by his dentists, the Father of His Country suffered all his life with tooth problems. Yet contrary to popular belief, George Washington never had a set of wooden teeth. Starting at the age of twenty-four, he lost on average a tooth a year, and by the time he was elected President, he had only two left! In this reverentially funny tale based on Washington’s letters, diaries, and other historical records, readers will find out what really happened as they follow the trail of lost teeth to complete toothlessness.
Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin
by Gene Barretta
What would you do if you lived in a community without a library, hospital, post office, or fire department? If you were Benjamin Franklin, you’d set up these organizations yourself. Franklin also designed the lightning rod, suggested the idea of daylight savings time, invented bifocals and the odometer — all inspired by his common sense and intelligence.
Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library
by Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by John O’Brien
Imagine owning so many books that you have to build a library to hold them. Thomas Jefferson did. Ever since he was a young boy, Jefferson loved to read and collect books — hundreds at first, then thousands! Books on animals, politics, nature, history. Books in English, French, Greek, and Latin. Jefferson built his first library as a young man and kept on building throughout his life until his book collection helped create the world’s largest library — the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
And the other John, Paul, and George with Ringo, too!
The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny)
by Kathleen Krull & Paul Brewer, Illustrated by Stacy Innerst
John, Paul, George, and Ringo inspired the world to sing, dance, scream — and laugh. In the 1960s, four lads from Liverpool found themselves on the roller coaster of Beatlemania. And what a ride it was! Their music defined a generation. Their hairstyles sparked a fashion craze. And their goofy sense of humor not only brought joy to their music — it also kept the Beatles going, no matter what fame threw their way.
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, the please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author