Nonfiction Monday

Innovators: The Stories Behind the People Who Shaped the World with 25 Projects by Marcia Amidon Lusted, introduces readers, ages 9 to 12, to a comprehensive selection of inventions from the delicious Toll House chocolate chip cookie to life-saving cancer detection.

An introduction provides an overview of the engineering design process, explains the differences between inventors and innovators, and discusses diversity in innovation and its effect on the perception of women and minorities in this important work.

Each of the six chapters pose an important question to keep in mind throughout the reading. Activities at the end create opportunities for readers to apply what they have learned.

Chapter One, The Medical World, acknowledges the well-known scientists like Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur. It also shines a light on less familiar individuals such as Dr. Daniel Hale Williams who performed the first open-heart surgery, Dr. Virginia Apgar who saved many infant lives by creating a test that enables physicians to assess a newborn baby’s health, and Dr. Charles Drew who developed a method of preserving plasma for use in transfusions during surgery. Building on that legacy are people like Stanford student, Jack Andraka who is focusing on using nanobots to fight cancer, and Harvard University’s Angela Zhang who is part of a research team exploring ways to use nanoparticles to target cancer cells.

Chapter Two, Solving Problems With Science, looks at the varied ways in which scientists have advanced human knowledge beginning with Galileo’s work in astronomy. African American, Benjamin Banneker’s skill in engineering and mathematics brought him to the attention of President Thomas Jefferson, who relied on Banneker to help design the layout of Washington, D.C. Mary Anning advanced our knowledge of prehistoric animals, Eliza Pinckney’s experiments with selective breeding created new plant varieties, and Rachel Carson exposed the environmental dangers of pesticides.

  

Chapter Three, Happiest at Home, focuses on a wide range of inventors who developed the electric light, windshield wipers, paper bags, disposable diapers, microwave ovens, and dishwashers. Attention is also give to innovators such as Lillian Gilbreth whose attention to efficiency led to better designs for appliances, Madame C.J. Walker who invented hair care products for African-American Women, and George Washington Carver’s many innovative uses for peanuts from printer’s ink to cooking oil. What would home life be without delicious snacks? Let’s not forget Ruth Graves Wakefield’s Toll House chocolate chip cookies, the legendary George Crum’s potato chips, and Arnold Fornachou’s ice cream cones.

Chapter Four, Engineering New Solutions, highlights the advances that began with the Industrial Age from Eli Whitney’s cotton gin and Alfred Noble’s dynamite to Stephanie Kwolek’s Kevlar and Elon Musk’s Space X. A variety of inventions are discussed including World War I gas masks, steam-driven boats, locomotives and cable cars, elevators and escalators, , steam engines, reusable rockets and Maglev trains.

Chapter Five, Hands-On Technology, covers topics from Gutenberg’s printing press to cell phones and computers with some interesting stops in between. Did you know that an almost all-female  team of codebreakers broke the secret of Germany’s Enigma machine during World War II or that Hedy Lamarr, a famous Hollywood actress, invented an anti-jamming device for torpedoes and that her “spread-Spectrum” technology is used in modern Wi-Fi?

Chapter Six, Innovative Accidents, explores Silly Putty, Play-Doh, Slinkys, Mr. Potato Head, Legos, and Super Soakers that all were developed for other purposes ranging from cleaning wall-paper to holding astronaut’s tools.

Chapters include primary sources and QR codes to augment the 122 page text.  In addition, sidebars define “Words To Know” and text boxes highlight important events, concepts, facts, and biographies to enrich the reading experience. The end of each chapter offers a variety of hands-on activities to focus attention and reinforce specific content by digging deeper into individual topics.

Timelines, colorful maps, illustrations, and photographs together with a glossary and additional resources provide plenty of visual interest and support the content.

Highly recommended for STEM classrooms and programs.