(3) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Toy Trailblazers series. Checkerboard Library. Toy Trailblazers series. Each of these engaging biographies introduces readers to the creator of a popular classic kids’ toy or game. The texts are generally positive (and overuse exclamation points) but don’t ignore difficulties and hardship, both personal and business-related. Captioned photos, archival reproductions, and “Fun Fact” boxes liven up the pages. The topics have ready-made kid-appeal; readers will glean insight into product development and the challenges of running a business. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by William Goldsmith. This creatively rendered biography-in-comics, with Muir's imagined voice as narrator, is filled with the naturalist's adventures, from his childhood in Scotland to his pioneering conservation work and formation of America's National Parks. Illustrator Goldsmith's Muir is a feisty character, portrayed in loose pencil sketches with one or two accent colors. Vibrant spreads in the chapter transitions and interludes capture the stunning landscapes in which Muir found his purpose. Timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Salerno. Fascinated by the natural world's many colors, Edwin Binney developed eight different colors of nontoxic crayons at his company in June 1903; they were an instant hit and are still made today. Whenever the text mentions a color, the word is set in bold for easy recognition by children. Salerno's dynamic spreads aptly burst with a variety of colors. Occasional helpful sidebars provide further explanations, particularly about the Crayola invention process. Bib.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Toy Trailblazers series. Checkerboard Library. Toy Trailblazers series. Each of these engaging biographies introduces readers to the creator of a popular classic kids’ toy or game. The texts are generally positive (and overuse exclamation points) but don’t ignore difficulties and hardship, both personal and business-related. Captioned photos, archival reproductions, and “Fun Fact” boxes liven up the pages. The topics have ready-made kid-appeal; readers will glean insight into product development and the challenges of running a business. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Toy Trailblazers series. Checkerboard Library. Toy Trailblazers series. Each of these engaging biographies introduces readers to the creator of a popular classic kids’ toy or game. The texts are generally positive (and overuse exclamation points) but don’t ignore difficulties and hardship, both personal and business-related. Captioned photos, archival reproductions, and “Fun Fact” boxes liven up the pages. The topics have ready-made kid-appeal; readers will glean insight into product development and the challenges of running a business. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Inside Technology series. Common, now-current technologies are competently described for general audiences, focusing on the hardware and software for each device, its personal and commercial uses, as well as related technologies such as cellular networks and artificial intelligence. Historical and future developments are also considered. "Straight to the Source" and "Stop and Think" features provide opportunities to practice standards-based literacy skills. There are four other spring 2019 titles in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Inside Technology titles: Inside Drones, Inside Electric Cars, Inside Smartphones, and Inside 3D Printers.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Valpuri Kerttula. Where did your breakfast banana come from? How are your jeans made? How does your house have electricity? Each two-page spread illuminates these and other "journeys" with numbered steps for each process. Technologies such as cellphones, the internet, and--yes--indoor plumbing are covered. A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at items and systems readers may take for granted. Back matter would have increased the educational value.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(3) 4-6 Inside Technology series. Common, now-current technologies are competently described for general audiences, focusing on the hardware and software for each device, its personal and commercial uses, as well as related technologies such as cellular networks and artificial intelligence. Historical and future developments are also considered. "Straight to the Source" and "Stop and Think" features provide opportunities to practice standards-based literacy skills. There are four other spring 2019 titles in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Inside Technology titles: Inside Drones, Inside Electric Cars, Inside Smartphones, and Inside 3D Printers.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Inside Technology series. Common, now-current technologies are competently described for general audiences, focusing on the hardware and software for each device, its personal and commercial uses, as well as related technologies such as cellular networks and artificial intelligence. Historical and future developments are also considered. "Straight to the Source" and "Stop and Think" features provide opportunities to practice standards-based literacy skills. There are four other spring 2019 titles in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Inside Technology titles: Inside Drones, Inside Electric Cars, Inside Smartphones, and Inside 3D Printers.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 In an alternate post–World War I Britain, orphan Christopher works as an engineer's assistant, building (and befriending) robot children called "mechanicals." When an accident reveals that Christopher himself is actually a mechanical, he's kidnapped for experimentation. To save him, his friends enlist the help of a reclusive inventor. Robots, magic, and frights combine in this gripping adventure, propelled by the heroes' devoted friendships.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) 4-6 Inside Technology series. Common, now-current technologies are competently described for general audiences, focusing on the hardware and software for each device, its personal and commercial uses, as well as related technologies such as cellular networks and artificial intelligence. Historical and future developments are also considered. "Straight to the Source" and "Stop and Think" features provide opportunities to practice standards-based literacy skills. There are four other spring 2019 titles in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Inside Technology titles: Inside Drones, Inside Electric Cars, Inside Smartphones, and Inside 3D Printers.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(2) YA Ada Byron Lovelace followed nineteenth-century conventions by marrying and bearing children yet still pursued scientific interests. Her friend Charles Babbage produced a mechanical tabulation machine, which Lovelace defined as a computer prototype; her resulting algorithm is often considered the first computer program. McCully clearly and systematically outlines mathematical concepts while painting Lovelace's life as one characterized both by spurts of brilliance and many challenges. Archival illustrations and photographs appear throughout. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(4) 4-6 Pursued by the Society of Nobodies, George (the third Lord of Devonshire) and his friend Ada Byron escape in Ada's mechanical whale. Can they find the treasure George's grandfather hid in a cryptic map before the Society attacks the scientific convention known as C.R.U.M.P.E.T.S.? The byzantine plot is a bit abstruse, but the strong character relationships and far-flung settings will entertain readers hungry for action-adventure in this follow-up to The Inventors at No. 8.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan. Lou loves spending time with his two grandfathers, Grandad and Pops, including building elaborate contraptions involving pulleys and ramps. When Pops becomes sad and withdrawn after suffering a fall, Lou is determined to cheer him up. The combination of a new contraption, the playing of Pops's favorite music, and an actual ramp for his wheelchair does the trick. A warm intergenerational story accompanied by expressive illustrations full of engaging detail.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Toy Trailblazers series. Each of these engaging biographies introduces readers to the creator of a popular classic kids' toy or game. The texts are generally positive (and overuse exclamation points) but don't ignore difficulties and hardship, both personal and business-related. Captioned photos, archival reproductions, and "Fun Fact" boxes liven up the pages. The topics have ready-made kid-appeal; readers will glean insight into product development and the challenges of running a business. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard Library: Toy Trailblazers titles: Hot Wheels Developer, Lincoln Logs Creator, My Little Pony Pioneer, Nerf Genius, Nintendo Innovator, and The Slime Queen.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Toy Trailblazers series. Checkerboard Library. Toy Trailblazers series. Each of these engaging biographies introduces readers to the creator of a popular classic kids’ toy or game. The texts are generally positive (and overuse exclamation points) but don’t ignore difficulties and hardship, both personal and business-related. Captioned photos, archival reproductions, and “Fun Fact” boxes liven up the pages. The topics have ready-made kid-appeal; readers will glean insight into product development and the challenges of running a business. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Checkerboard Library: Toy Trailblazers series. Checkerboard Library. Toy Trailblazers series. Each of these engaging biographies introduces readers to the creator of a popular classic kids’ toy or game. The texts are generally positive (and overuse exclamation points) but don’t ignore difficulties and hardship, both personal and business-related. Captioned photos, archival reproductions, and “Fun Fact” boxes liven up the pages. The topics have ready-made kid-appeal; readers will glean insight into product development and the challenges of running a business. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. This look at young Les Paul, the father of the solid-body electric guitar, capably explains the mechanics behind the boy's inventions--arguably a little too capably, as short shrift is given to interiority, although the retro-flavored oil paintings tease out the human element. This book is best suited for readers (including adults) who are already besotted with the rock guitar sound. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Katy Wu. WWII-era film star Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000) was also an inventor whose "brain overflowed with idea after idea." Though Lamarr's technology is widely used in today's electronics, it took decades for her work to be acknowledged. Well-chosen quotes reveal Lamarr's frustration with people's assumptions about her intelligence based on her "pretty face." Approachable digital illustrations ably portray Lamarr in glitz-and-glam-Hollywood mode and at her inventing table. Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Oxley. Fair-skinned Melia loves inventing; brown-skinned neighbor Jo is always singing, dancing, and making art. However, this unlikely pair (perhaps inspired by Amelia Earhart and Josephine Baker?) learn that they can "create more super-cool stuff together than either could create alone." Bright, cartoony illustrations featuring orange, lime, and purple complement the motivational (if message-y) text. Back matter includes craft instructions and a STEAM-encouraging note.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester