Inventions

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-A disappointing Japanese import. Each double-page spread answers a question such as ``Who Invented the Light Bulb?,'' ``How Was the Radio Invented?,'' ``How Did Television Begin?,'' etc. The fact that several people were working on the same thing at the same time is mentioned, but only one person's name is given for each invention-e.g., Thomas Edison for the light bulb. Aside from the consistent format, bytes of information are arranged in no particular order. A small box on each spread labeled ``To the Parent'' contains further information, but is no more difficult to understand than the rest of the text. Illustrations are predominantly cartoons, but some full-color and black-and-white photographs are included. There are many good books of inventions available; this one is not even in the running.-JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA