Inventions are often the workings of a society, helping people do things better for themselves or for others. From Here to There gives us nine stories. These stories are all about inventions that changed the way the world moves. From bicycles to wheelchairs all the way up to rockets.
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Throughout history people have needed to get from point a to point b. In From Here to There, we learn about inventors who have helped us to get more mobile.
Nine inventors are profiled.
- Manned balloon flight – Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier
- Bicycle – Kari Drais
- Steam Locomotive – George Stephenson
- Automobile – Bertha and Karl Benz
- Bus – Eric Wickman
- Rocket – Robert Goddard
- Wheelchair – Herbert Everest/Harry Jennings
- Robot – George Devol
- Ship Design – Raye Montague
I received an advanced reader’s copy from Raincoast books. One of the negative side effects of getting an ARC is that they often arrive in greyscale which makes it hard to share the delight of the images. Almost all of its 96 pages are filled with images created by Gilbert Ford.
So What Do I Think?
I LOVE the positivity found in almost every story. The… this is the problem I see, this is how I think we can solve it and this is how we help each other out! I love it. I love the “I think I can, so now I’m going to figure out how I can” attitudes shown by each inventor.
My appreciation for the variety of inventors. Not all men, nor all women, along with variations in country of origin, skin tone, and backgrounds. Inventors come from all over the place and it’s fantastic to see! I loved reading the stories about what inspired each of them, and how they caught a break.
Can you imagine the usefulness of having a computer help design a ship? It would take so much work to input the data, but then letting a computer figure out the fine details. HUGE time saver. Or the ease of having a wheelchair that folds in half?
If you are studying inventors, researching vehicles and/or transportation, important people in history, or just want to read a book that inspires… this is it! From Here to There is an inspiring read for youth 8-12 years of age. Author Vivian Kirkfield takes an inventor, shares their childhood dreams. She then shows pitfalls along the way to success. Engaging stories within a friendly biographical style.
I thought I knew who some of the inventors of these items were but there are names next to them that I don’t recognize. Again, something to make me research and go looking. Robert Goddard did a lot of his rocket work close to the area I grew up in so this is one that is super familiar to me.
oh neat. Many of these were new to me.