I love reading about inventions and for a whole book to be dedicated to children's inventions, how great for an elementary teacher. I remember in 5th grade participating in Invention Convention. I would share this book with students before a big event like that. Even if it was just a classwide thing, it would be fun to have students invent different things and reading this book would give them an idea of how things are invented and things that people their own age have come up with. ( )

The nonfiction book entitled The Kid’s Invention Book by Arlene Erlbach was an easy read, but revealed important information about how children, and anyone for that matter, may go about inventing something that satisfies a need and how to have that product patented and manufactured. This entertaining how-to book contains approximately 50 pages of insightful information that presents real stories of kids who have invented products that they thought would be desired by the public because their items solve problems that make peoples’ lives easier or are just plain fun. The author explains how these ordinary kids from around the country have come up with some ingenious ideas for making people’s lives better by using their invention. Erlbach primarily targets children between the ages of 9 and 15 who are interested in creating a new or improved item, but the useful data that is presented may be beneficial to anyone who has a great idea that he or she wants to design, patent, manufacture, and market to the public at large.

In summary, Erlbach begins her expository guide with building her young readers’ confidence by telling them that anyone has the ability to create great inventions that could benefit society. She first presents how in 1873 a fifteen-year-old named Chester Greenwood from Farmington, Maine was tired of having cold ears in the winter, so he took a piece of wire and sewed two pads on either ends, bent it to shape his head, and placed his invention on his head with the pads covering his ears. At first his friends thought that his idea was a bit odd, but soon discovered that Chester’s ears were warm while theirs remained cold. Soon, Chester started making and selling many earmuffs. He applied for a patented from the U.S. government and began manufacturing his invention which made him rich and famous.

The author then shares several, modern-day stories of kids who have had similar epiphanies of what they thought would be great inventions that work. For further motivation, she discloses to the reader that many of these children have entered contests and won prizes. One by one, Erlbach introduces the young inventors by telling their stories and showing pictures of them with their inventions. Some of the inventors and their ideas were very clever and a few of them caught my fancy. For example, six-year-old Suzanna Goodwin of Hydro, Oklahoma invented The Edible Pet-Food Spoon. She said that she hated having to feed her cats because she had to then wash the messy spoon afterwards. With the help of her grandmother, she created the Edible Pet-Food Spoon that is made of brewer’s yeast, vitamins, and garlic. It is a hit with most pets which gobble it down with each meal. Suzanna’s invention won first prize in a contest she entered.

Another young inventor named Josh Parsons from Houston, Texas wanted to help a disabled boy named David who loved to play baseball, but had no arms below his elbows. Josh’s dad was a baseball coach who told him about David and how he hit the ball really well, but had difficulty catching it. Persistent in pursuing his dream of playing baseball, David tried out for a local little league team and made it; however, he still struggled to catch the ball in the outfield. Josh was so moved by David’s determination that he decided to invent a special glove called The Prosthetic Catch and Throw Device that could fit onto the end of his right arm, assisting him in catching the ball. Josh drew many pictures of baseball gloves and finally came up with one that resembled a scoop, allowing David to not only hold the ball, but also throw it. Josh made a model of his special glove out of paper to test it and then made a leather prototype. David was thrilled that Josh took an interest in his need and was overjoyed when the glove actually worked. Josh’s invention caught the media’s attention and he was asked to appear on the show Good Morning America, as well as CNN. Many newspapers also wrote about the young inventor’s glove and how it helped a physically disabled friend. He received an award from the Easter Seal Society, as well as from the Houston Inventors’ Association. Josh even had the honor of throwing the first ball in a Houston Astros game.

A third invention that I personally thought was quite astute and worth mentioning in this review is the Dial-a-Fish. Eric Bunnelle of Columbia, Missouri wanted a goldfish for a pet, but was told by his mother that unless he came up with a way of feeding the fish while they were on vacation, he would not be able to get the fish. During this time, Eric’s teacher told his class that they would be working on a project in which they would be asked to invent something. This was the perfect opportunity Eric needed to brainstorm over an idea that would allow him to fulfill his project requirements and solve his fish-feeding problem. He decided to plug an electrical massager into a telephone jack and then clamped it to a stand that held a container of fish food. By dialing his phone number and a special code away from the house, the massager was supposed to receive an electrical current from the phone jack and shake the stand, allowing the food to go into the fish bowl. The first few trail runs were not successful, but Eric did not give up. His mother helped him by taking him to an electronic store, and the owner told him he would need a special device called a “Fone Flasher” which is a special telephone attachment for the hearing impaired. This unique gadget normally turned on a lamp when the phone rang in order to signal to a deaf person that someone was calling. Eric would instead use this mechanism to turn on the massager that was connected to the fish food container. He tested his invention again at home and plugged the “Fone Flasher” into the phone jack and then plugged the “Fone Flasher” into the massager that held the container of fish food. After many tries, he got the angle of the container just right and when the phone rang, the massager worked and enough fish food emptied into the bowl below. Eric not only got his goldfish, he won a grand prize at a national contest for kids’ inventions.

Other inventions that receive tribute in this book are The Two-Door Mailbox, The All-in-One Washer/Dryer, The Jump Rope Belt, Mr. Fishy’s Neighborhood, The Conserve Sprinkler, The Rampanion, The Crayon Saver, The Nappy Shirt, The Kiddie Stool, and The Happy Hand. Arlene Erlbach then reviews eleven significant steps an inventor takes in the creation process. The explanation is straight forward and to the point, so that anyone can clearly comprehend what is recommended when organizing one’s thoughts in order to make ideas become a reality.

The author also discusses various invention contests that prospective inventors may enter in order to win prizes that in many cases grant monetary awards that may help to pay for patents and get the manufacturing process going. The primary groups that sponsor contests are Silver Burdett & Ginn and The Network for Inventive Thinkers. Erlbach lists different contest organizations around the country with their addresses and phone numbers for interested individuals to contact for more information. She then goes into some detail about what patents are, the different kinds of patents available that address various types of inventions, how to apply for a patent, and how much one will approximately cost. The author also highly recommends that kids start an inventors club at their school, so that they may interact with other individuals interested in inventing things, sharing ideas, and possibly invent things together. She lists some notable inventors’ clubs and camps in several cities throughout the United States.

In terms of accuracy, Arlene Erlbach is a distinguished writer who has written over 30 books of fiction and nonfiction for young readers. She has also been recognized on the ALA list of Quick Picks for Young Adults. In addition to being an author, she is also an elementary school teacher and is the head of her school’s Young Author’s program. Her education is not mentioned, but being that she is a school teacher, it is assumed that she has received some form of higher education. Her sources of information are also valid which adds to the accuracy of The Kids’ Invention Book.

The content of this book has a fairly decent scope with Erlbach offering good information on the topic of how to bring one’s ideas to fruition in the form of inventions, but she does not overwhelm the reader with too much material. The depth of the book is, therefore, not very detailed or intense, although enough data is offered to get a potential inventor on the right track. The author’s focus does not deviate from the subject matter of kid’s inventing things and her suggestions of how to go about doing it.

Arlene Erlbach’s style of writing uses language that is clear and to the point. She uses words that children can easily understand and thoroughly explains unfamiliar words in a way that most will comprehend. Because of this, her language is quite precise, yet also seems to sound encouraging. With all of this in mind, the book is easy and interesting to read. The chapter titles reveal what the upcoming material will be about, perks the reader’s interest, and transitions easily from one to another. Erlbach’s tone is one that is conversational, but has a dash of partisan style too because she gives the reader the impression that she cares about kids wanting to express their ideas through the means of invention.

The organization of The Kids’ Invention Book is one that is topical in nature. It discusses various kids’ inventions and advises potential inventors on how to get their inventions patented and possibly manufactured. Some ideas within the book also seem to go from more simplistic in description to more complex concerning the types of inventions Erlbach presents With this in mind, some concepts also go from familiar to unfamiliar, but are adequately explained to the reader.

Several reference aids are used in this book, as well. A table of contents is available at the beginning of the book in which there are six self-explanatory chapters that the author uses to divide the book into sections. This makes it quite easy to find a particular item in the book. Within one of the chapter titles called Meet the Inventors, subtitles also exists that reflects a specific type of invention about to be discussed. A section entitled More Information is available toward the back of the book that lists more resources for the reader to explore that will further elaborate on the invention process. Another type of information section follows this one and is entitled Other Resources. It offers information on organizations that can assist a potential inventor with government processes, market potential, training workshops, grants, and patents, copyrights, or trademarks. A short glossary is accessible toward the back of the book and defines some of the more unfamiliar words for young readers who may need clarification. An index lists all of the topics within the book in alphabetical order, so that the reader may quickly find a particular item of interest with ease. Finally, a short Author’s Note and Acknowledgments section is on the last page of the book allowing the reader access to extra information about the author and the visual images used throughout the book.

The format uses colorful photographs of the young inventors and their inventions, as well as, drawings of the inventors’ ideas. These visual images represent the written text well which helps the reader to better connect to what they are reading, raising comprehension levels. The front and back covers also clearly show the potential reader what to expect when reading this book. Arlene Erlbach makes it a point to be unambiguous concerning the book’s façade.

I really liked this book, but as a future middle school English teacher, I probably would not use it in my particular class. I would, however, recommend it to a colleague who teaches science because I feel that The Kids’ Invention Book would be more appropriate for this type of environment. If I were to work with a science teacher on an integrated lesson, however, I would perhaps incorporate the writing process when instructing my students on how to describe their inventions in a way that is not only interesting, but also entertaining. ( )