Synopsis
Introduces the life of Eli Whitney, including his childhood on a Massachusetts farm, his invention of the cotton gin, and his development of mass production, a process of ...
Anita Barnes Lowen - Children's Literature
Eli Whitney is probably best remembered as the man who improved the cotton gin, a machine that separates seeds from cotton fibers faster than any person could. But Whitney should also be remembered as the man who developed the idea of mass production—a process of making individual parts then assembling them into a finished product. Factories around the world today use this process to make things quickly and cheaply. This biography is part of the "Lives and Times" series, which "covers the life of a famous person." The brief account of the life of Eli Whitney—almost picture book in format with large print text and colorful illustrations on every page—is entertaining, informative and written for the youngest readers. Words highlighted in bold are defined in the glossary. And kids will readily understand the definitions given for words such as model or patent. At the end of the book readers will find a Fact File (the word gin in cotton gin is short for engine), the glossary, a list of more books to read and an index. 2004, Heinemann Library/Reed Elsevier, Ages 5 to 7.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Eli Whitney is probably best remembered as the man who improved the cotton gin, a machine that separates seeds from cotton fibers faster than any person could. But Whitney should also be remembered as the man who developed the idea of mass production—a process of making individual parts then assembling them into a finished product. Factories around the world today use this process to make things quickly and cheaply. This biography is part of the "Lives and Times" series, which "covers the life of a famous person." The brief account of the life of Eli Whitney—almost picture book in format with large print text and colorful illustrations on every page—is entertaining, informative and written for the youngest readers. Words highlighted in bold are defined in the glossary. And kids will readily understand the definitions given for words such as model or patent. At the end of the book readers will find a Fact File (the word gin in cotton gin is short for engine), the glossary, a list of more books to read and an index. 2004, Heinemann Library/Reed Elsevier, Ages 5 to 7.—Anita Barnes Lowen