So You Want to Be an Inventor?

Written by Judith St. George

Narrated by Christina Moore

Judith St. George is a distinguished author and the recipient of numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal. This entertaining book encourages young listeners to become creative thinkers. People with great ideas, some famous and some not so much, invented the things we use everyday. Inventors like Ben Franklin, the Wright Brothers, Heddy Lamar, and Josephine Cochran dreamed the big dreams that led to the lightning rods, airplanes, torpedoes and dishwashers. "... take(s) a skewed, funny, and informative look at the history of inventions and their inventors and what it takes to become one."-School Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781490676852

Reviews for So You Want to Be an Inventor?

[sommerkirk-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was about many well known inventors such as Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney, and Josephine Cochran. I thought this would be an amazing way to not only cross cut concepts with science and English, but also with history and Engineering. I would love to read this book and then have my students actually invent something that solves a problem. I LOVE READING SCIENCE BOOKS! They get me so excited to teach science all the time and integrate all of the other core subjects.

[nicholepeterse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a great book that describes investors to the reader. It really goes deep into history and mentions Ben Franklin, and goes up to the year 1947 with the invention of computers. It has a lot of history going on in the book and mentions a lot of important information. It also mentions common traits among investors.Use: I would use it for a history lesson about a certain area and pull out chunks from the book. Second I would use it to inspire kids to be creative and do a writing assignment on what they would like to invent.Media: Colored pencilGenre: Informational

[ebecker13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Informational book about inventors and their inventions throughout history.

[smlawrence-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a book that educates children on famous inventions and inventors and encourages them to invent things themselves. It tells about famous inventors like Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford and also tells about not as well known inventors like Cyrus McCormick, who invented the mechanical wheat reaper, and female inventor Josephine Cochran, who invented the first dishwasher. I particularly enjoyed this book because it included female inventors, not just male inventors!

[ckelly16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So You Want to Be an Inventor is a great book for children grades three to five. It is all about famous inventions and inventors that you may never have thought about. I liked this book for two reasons and the first is its informational aspect. The book is a clear example of an informational text but is exciting and relatable. Each page tells the story of a different set of inventions and who invented the, but relates it back to the reader by asking a question or making a point. An example of this would be on the first page when the author asks, “Are you a kid who likes to tinker with machines that clink and clank, levers that pull, bells that ring, cogs that grind, switches that turn on and off, wires that vibrate, dials that spin?” The writing is both engaging and pulls the reader in to want to read more. The book also includes a biographical index in the back that explains each inventor. Another reason I liked the book was because of its fun illustrations. The pictures are very bright and engaging, along with humorous. The inventors are drawn very silly but allow readers to become interested and understanding of the story. Overall, the big idea of the book is to inform readers about famous inventors and their inventions in a fun way.

[kaitlinc23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Genre: Informational :History Level: Primary 3-5 This book is a good example of informational because it focuses on history and inventors. The book gives information about famous inventors and lets kids know that they are able to be inventors just the way they are. It tells of people who invented things what we use everyday such electricity, rubber, and the dishwasher. It sends a positive message to all kids that they do not have to have anything special to be an inventor.

[bperkins07_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Genre: This book is informational. It provides information and history about many famous and not so famous inventors. The purpose of the book is to provide information on what it takes to be an inventor, and what to expect.Stars: Style

[youthgpl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kearsten says: I checked this out to listen to in the car with my daughter (6 1/2 yrs old), partly because of the invention/inventor aspect, but also because the illustrator is David Small and I quite adore his illustrations!So You Want to Be an Inventor describes the sorts of characteristics that are beneficial to inventors by using those characteristics to describe inventors in the past. For example, "Don't worry if people laugh at you" precedes Robert Fulton's initially laughed at steamboat, and presumed hoaxer Robert Goddard, who invented a liquid-fuel rocket in 1926.I found this interesting and fun (the audio was well-done and expressive), and my daughter requested we listen to the 30-minute audio several times (and would then discourse on all her inventive ideas!). She read along with the book, but for younger kids, there is a second CD which includes an audio track with page-turn signals. (There are also biographical notes on all the inventors mentioned - 40 in all - and a bibliography.)Highly recommended!

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I checked this out to listen to in the car with my daughter (6 1/2), partly because of the invention/inventor aspect, but also because the illustrator is David Small and I quite adore his illustrations!So You Want to be an Inventor describes the sorts of characteristics that are beneficial to inventors by using those characteristics to describe inventors in the past. For example, "Don't worry if people laugh at you" precedes Robert Fulton's initially laughed at steamboat and presumed hoaxer Robert Goddard, who invented a liquid-fuel rocket, in 1926.I found this interesting and fun (the audio was well-done and expressive), and my daughter requested we listen to the 30-minute audio several times (and would then discourse on all her inventive ideas!). She read along with the book, but for younger kids, there is a CD which includes an audio track with page-turn signals. (There are also biographical notes on all the inventors mentioned - 40 in all - and a bibliography.)Highly recommended!

[awiltenburg_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! This book is loaded with inventions that work and some that dont. Each is presented in a humor style, an easy to read format with terrific illustrations! This book would be an excellent read aloud for grades 2-8. I would use it to introduce science concepts, invention, historical commentary, to foster creativity, perseverance, personal best. Some topics covered are the transistor, coffins, x-rays, computers, filament, airplanes, brakes, movie camera, phone, rubber tires, etc..... You name it, its probably in there! This book is wonderful!! Grades 2-8CAUTION: guiillotine

[ggenao-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

this is a good book to talk about invention and inventors and how they are part of our history and improvement in the society

[sharmon05 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book provides the reader with a lot of accurate historical information, this makes this book a good example of an informative book. The illustrations in this book are very bright and engaging. They help tell the story and give students an idea about the time and the invention.