Inventions: A Visual Encyclopedia (Visual Encyclopedia)

Gr 4-6--This panoramic view of significant inventions covers everything from a 1.5 million-year-old hand ax to futuristic Masdar City, a carbon footprint-free metropolis in the United Arab Emirates, scheduled to be completed in 2030. Grouped several per page and more or less chronologically within seven color-coded categories such as "space," "communication," and "at home," entries each include a color photo or historical image; name, date, and country of origin (where known); and a brief description. Along with occasional side boxes and time lines, select figures (polymath Zhang Heng; computer visionary Ada Lovelace) earn closer looks. Several dozen additional profiles of other inventors are gathered together in a closing section. Occasional nods to bubble gum and breakfast cereal, the bra, traveler's checks, the sandwich, and similar sidelights jazz up the parade of technological marvels. VERDICT There are no resource lists in this title, but the high-quality images and a topical rather than chronological or alphabetical arrangement make this substantial survey most suitable for middle and upper elementary grade browsers.--John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York