Hooray For Inventors! [Hardcover]

Marcia Williams (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Hip, hip, hooray! Marcia Williams wields her witty comic-book style to applaud the creators of inventions that changed the world — and to inspire the inventor in us all.

What are your eight favorite inventions, and who were the persevering minds behind them? In a style as vivacious and accessible as ever, Marcia Williams honors the fine folks who brought us the printing press, the steam condenser, the steam train, the electric light, all of them stepping stones to ever more awesome inventions to come. Interspersed are brief snapshots of more than a hundred other inventions, from toothpaste to toilet paper rolls, the World Wide Web to, yes, sliced bread. There's also a tribute to women inventors — the force behind such indispensable items as windshield wipers, submarine telescopes, and bulletproof vests.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–This oversize, entertaining book provides the stories behind some of the world's greater and lesser inventions. Beginning with a dedication to Leonardo da Vinci, it includes Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press; James Watt and the steam condenser; the Wright brothers; Guglielmo Marconi and the radio; and John Logie Baird and the television. In addition, there are chapters on useful inventions like toilet paper and postage stamps as well as one on the women responsible for coffee filters, teddy bears, and windshield wipers. Another chapter covers the author's favorite inventions, such as hula hoops, Legos, pencils, and the sandwich. Using a comic-book format, Williams reveals how the inventors got their ideas and sponsors as well as their obstacles and failed attempts. Readers may find some of the information surprising; for instance, in 2002 the U.S. Congress proclaimed Antonio Meucci the true inventor of the telephone. Williams also emphasizes how many inventions build on earlier ones. Without the radio, no TV. Without the TV, no video. Without the video, no DVD. The pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons are crammed full of clever and humorous details. Animals appear on the borders, offering droll asides and assorted trivia. While the overall effect is appealing, the pages are already quite busy without them. Still, children will enjoy the format and learn some valuable lessons about the history and spirit of invention.–Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. In contrast to the many earnest books on inventors and inventions, Williams' large-format volume takes a light approach, presenting information in small parcels and illustrating it with cartoon-style ink-and-watercolor drawings. A few inventors, such as Gutenberg, Marconi, and the Wright brothers, are featured in two- or four-page spreads, which include frame-to-frame narratives about their lives and their most famous achievements. Others are named and briefly identified in small, illustrated boxes as part of a multiperson presentation. For example, the double-page spread on "Inventors of Useful Things" includes 26 boxes spotlighting inventors of devices such as eyeglasses (1280), the toothpaste tube (1892), and the personal computer (1977). The pages bustle with activity, often marked with a certain zany humor. Characters featured in the longer biographies act out roles and speak bits of dialogue within the frames, while below, a running commentary tells the story, and in the margins, little birds and turtles remark on the stories and add humorous quips. Pair this with Judith St. George's So You Want to Be an Inventor (2002) and give both to budding inventors. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763627607
• ISBN-13: 978-0763627607
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 12.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marcia Williams is famous for her retellings of classic stories. From Shakespeare and Dickens to the Canterbury Tales and Greek Myths, her humorous comic-strip illustration is hugely popular all over the globe. She lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Complicated, but fascinating, August 23, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hooray For Inventors! (Hardcover)

Our favorite inventors book is "Great Inventors" by Gillian Clements.

This book by Marcia Williams is full of her trademark happy illustrations and conversational asides. It is cute, and packed with information. Some of the pages become distracting, there is so much owl conversation and turtles frolicking, etc.