The Inventor's Workshop
How People and Machines Transformed Each Other
-
- $15.99
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
Explore ten inventions that changed the world in The Inventor’s Workshop: How People and Machines Transformed Each Other, the debut children’s book from award-winning inventor Ruth Amos
Step inside the inventor’s workshop to see how one creative spark leads to another . . . until an invention is born.
Find out how, when, and why these ingenious breakthroughs happened, and learn about all the people who created them. Discover how Ada Lovelace’s code inspired Charles Babbage’s work on the first modern computer; see how Lewis Latimer’s technology made Thomas Edison’s light bulb possible; and much more.
This STEM book for middle grade readers features:
• Real-life stories behind 10 great inventions—computer, compass, radio, camera, television, light bulb, engine, telephone, bicycle, and clock
• Mini biographies and profiles of more than 50 inventors
• Beautifully illustrated timelines, showing how creations of today exist because of the long line of inventions and inventors that came before
• Incredible cross-sections, revealing the intricacies of each discovery
Featuring detailed illustration by the inimitable Stacey Thomas, Ruth Amos’s The Inventor’s Workshop is the perfect book for every budding inventor.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Step inside the workshops of ten inventions that changed the world," Amos proposes at the start of this whirlwind tour of technological development. From telephones and computers, to light bulbs and television, chapters itemize the variations that have preceded each piece's modern rendition. As timelines provide further context, boxes describe the mechanical functioning of some objects ("How did Watt's steam engine work?"), and additional sections further highlight related inventor-driven efforts (mathematician Gladys West's contributions to GPS). Narration primarily serves to name-check key terms, indicated in bold, and occasionally supplies fascinating tidbits (Edison's trying to use beard hair as filament). Offering an absorbing break from the avalanche of information, Thomas's detailed cartoons showcase inventor workshops cluttered with paraphernalia. The creators make clear that inventions aren't the brainchild of a single individual, but the result of many efforts. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones, and text emphasizes global contributions to technological advancement. Back matter consists of a glossary and further resources. Ages 8–11. (Oct.)
