So You Want to Be an Inventor? Written by Judith St. George, Illustrated by David Small

Summary: This book leads children from page to page filled with inventions and the history of each. While inspiring the opportunity to become an inventor, it also gives many examples of inventions. A small snippet of information about the invention includes the date, inventor and how it worked or why it came about. This book suggests the possibility of anyone becoming an inventor including men and women. It also explains that inventions can be made individually or with a group; that some inventions lead to others, or more problems; some inventions scare people, never take off, or are dangerous; many fail but some succeed, which change the world. Overall, it informs children that there are “always barriers to be broken” and inventing is something that many know about and can do, but they have to be willing to try and fail, try and fail, over and over again.

Implementation: This book would align perfectly with science and social studies. Because many of the inventors are mentioned across both subjects, keeping this book in the classroom would allow opportunity for students to make text-to-text connections. When reading a chapter or section in a social studies textbook about the Civil War and slavery, students could reference the mention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. Or when reading a chapter or section in a science textbook, or learning about electricity, students could reference the mention of Alessandro Volta and James Watt. Making these connections would help students to comprehend and remember what they’ve read.