A good example of a biography because the author goes through the life of Mattie Knight in her adventures leading up to inventing and as an inventor. Knight was always curious about how things worked and enjoyed more than anything designing things. Whether it was a kite for her brothers or sleds for neighborhood children, Knight was at her best in these times. A job in her youth at a textile factory inspired her to invent a piece to add to the machines to make them more safe, which led her to invent an entirely new machine that gives paper bags rectangular bases. Ultimately, the story of Knight's life is one that encourages perseverance and accomplishing one's goals.

Media: Ink and wash ( )

This picture book biography tells the story of Margaret Knight, a woman of the Industrial Revolution who broke gender barriers to become an inventor. Her first patented invention, a machine that produced flat-bottom paper bags, was stolen by an acquaintance. Knight went to court to prove that a she had in fact invented the device and won. This book reads quickly and would please a variety of audiences, as the reader can't help but cheer for "Mattie" throughout the story. ( )

Genre: Historical Fiction

This is a good historical fiction book because it takes the life of a real life inventor, Margaret Wright, and turns it into a story that students can read and relate to. It uses simple enough language for the life and biography of a real woman to be read with interest and ease. It takes place during the industrial revolution time period in America, and uses the imagination of the reader to picture what the real life of Margaret Wright looked like. This plot is definitely possible, because most of it actually did happen in real life. There are a few parts that are made up, according to the author, but it was based on real life.

The media looks like it is colored pencil, watercolor, and possibly some black ink for the lines around the characters. There are a lot of squiggly lines and uneven color blending which makes it look like the watercolors are loose. I like the way the colors are shaded and used to look somewhat casual, yet they are still very intentionally placed.

The setting takes place in York, Maine, during the time of the Industrial Revolution in early America, during the 1800s. The story takes us from place to place, from Mattie’s house to the different factories she worked in, all the way to Springfield, Massachusetts where Mattie works more on inventions and tries to get a patent. Then several years later from there she goes to Boston to get a patent, where we find her in a courtroom.

Genre: Biography
Age appropriateness: Intermediate; primary
Review: This picture book was a good example of a biography. It went in depth about Mattie and the major events in her life and showed us a little bit of her character. It also had illustrations of some of her inventions which were fascinating. The plot was mostly person-against-society. It told of the numerous struggles that Mattie faced because she was a woman and how she overcame those gender obstacles.

Media: mixed media

As a child, Mattie Knight loved to play with tools and invent toys and other useful devices for her brothers and widowed mother. Her mechanical abilities and perseverance also led to other inventions most notably a machine to produce square-bottomed paper bags.