(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by Renné Benoit. Kulling's picture book–biography series on historical inventors continues. Zamboni's name is synonymous with his ice-resurfacing machine; the interesting story behind it is engagingly told and nicely illustrated in watercolor and colored pencil. The son of freed slaves, lesser-known Morgan's inventions include what became gas masks and traffic lights; his compelling biography, with finely detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor art, includes attention to prejudices he faced. Review covers the following titles: Clean Sweep! and To the Rescue!.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by David Parkins. Kulling's picture book–biography series on historical inventors continues. Zamboni's name is synonymous with his ice-resurfacing machine; the interesting story behind it is engagingly told and nicely illustrated in watercolor and colored pencil. The son of freed slaves, lesser-known Morgan's inventions include what became gas masks and traffic lights; his compelling biography, with finely detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor art, includes attention to prejudices he faced. Review covers the following titles: Clean Sweep! and To the Rescue!.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. This brief, uneven look at Tesla's inventing career begins with his 1884 arrival in America and ends rather abruptly with his 1896 Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant. Although focusing on Tesla's famous conflicts with Edison, his rivalry with Marconi--who was credited with inventing the radio but used Tesla's ideas--is glossed over in an endnote. Droll pen-and-ink drawings capture the era.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by David Parkins. Lillian Gilbreth's background as a psychologist, efficiency expert, industrial engineer, and widowed mother of eleven enabled her to--among many other accomplishments--design improvements for kitchens in the early twentieth century. The straightforward narrative and droll pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations pay tribute to the spirit of a remarkable modern inventor, the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. REVIEW MISSING

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. Unlike other entries in this engineering series, this book is more about physics and the scientific questions that caused the LHC to be created, and less about building the structure itself. The text presumes a basic understanding of physics that is probably beyond most elementary-school students, but it does convey the enormity of the questions the LHC is attempting to answer. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. REVIEW MISSING

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. Kallen's comprehensive introduction to the longest undersea tunnel in the world, connecting Great Britain and France, candidly captures the notion that while such engineering feats can be easily imagined, implementation is far trickier and often faces many critical setbacks. A welcome discussion of the structure's environmental impact is included. Diagrams, maps, and historical photos helpfully amplify the account. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by Richard Rudnicki. This picture book biography recounts the story of how a young Italian boy became the father of modern wireless technology. Marconi's love of science and his fascination with Ben Franklin's discoveries in electricity led him, through trial and error, to eventually send a message between England and Newfoundland via his wireless telegraph. Mediocre acrylic paintings accompany the brief but informative text.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. Miller does a good job of explaining the reasons why the Hoover Dam was constructed in the 1930s and the step-by-step account of the building process is clear. While the book does not mention any of the adverse effects of the dam, it's otherwise a comprehensive introduction. Diagrams, maps, and historical photos helpfully amplify the account. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. Miller does a good job of explaining the reasons why the Panama Canal was constructed, from early attempts in the late 1800s to its completion in 1914. While the book does not mention any of the ecological consequences of this man-made structure, it's otherwise a comprehensive introduction. Diagrams, maps, and historical photos helpfully amplify the account. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(3) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. Because The Great Wall of China took nearly two thousand years to construct, Nardo aptly focuses on its shifting historical context, including changes in its purpose over time. Conversely, the Burj Khalifa and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway are both contemporary structures designed to break records and bring modernity to remote areas of Asia. Diagrams, maps, and photos amplify the comprehensive accounts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Idea: Engineering titles: Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Burj Khalifa, and The Great Wall of China.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(3) 4-6 Great Idea: Engineering series. Nardo briefly explains the initial purpose of the Giza pyramids--to deter grave-robbing of royal tombs--and predominantly focuses on the development of these remarkable structures without modern technology. Historical myths regarding the pyramids' construction are swiftly redressed, giving credit where credit is due: to free Egyptian workers. Diagrams, maps, and historical photos helpfully amplify the account. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by David Parkin. This picture-book biography details the mid-nineteenth-century life and eventual successes of Elisha Otis, inventor of the modern elevator. Kulling succinctly and simply recounts Otis's progression from bed-frame factory worker to designer of lifts for heavy machinery to World's Fair marvel when he debuted his passenger elevator. Crisp pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations contribute energy and levity to the account.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by David Parkins. In the mid-nineteenth-century, Margaret "Mattie" Knight broke ground for women by putting her natural curiosity and mechanical inclination to good use as an inventor. Her inventions weren't the sexiest--this book focuses mainly on her machine that formed a flat-bottom paper bag--but her know-how and spirit, reflected in invented dialogue and snappy pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations, were indomitable.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Great Idea series. These volumes explore inventions that allow for invisibility, pilotless flight, high-definition television signals, and animal-behavior imitation by robots. "Did You Know?" facts and other sidebars, while interesting, often interrupt the flow of the texts. Captioned photographs support and clarify the science behind the inventions. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Idea titles: Becoming Invisible, HDTV, Pilotless Planes, and SCRATCHBot.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Great Idea series. These volumes explore inventions that allow for invisibility, pilotless flight, high-definition television signals, and animal-behavior imitation by robots. "Did You Know?" facts and other sidebars, while interesting, often interrupt the flow of the texts. Captioned photographs support and clarify the science behind the inventions. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Idea titles: Becoming Invisible, HDTV, Pilotless Planes, and SCRATCHBot.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Great Idea series. These volumes explore inventions that allow for invisibility, pilotless flight, high-definition television signals, and animal-behavior imitation by robots. "Did You Know?" facts and other sidebars, while interesting, often interrupt the flow of the texts. Captioned photographs support and clarify the science behind the inventions. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Idea titles: Becoming Invisible, HDTV, Pilotless Planes, and SCRATCHBot.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Great Idea series. These volumes explore inventions that allow for invisibility, pilotless flight, high-definition television signals, and animal-behavior imitation by robots. "Did You Know?" facts and other sidebars, while interesting, often interrupt the flow of the texts. Captioned photographs support and clarify the science behind the inventions. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Idea titles: Becoming Invisible, HDTV, Pilotless Planes, and SCRATCHBot.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Great Idea series. These books explore the invention of and benefits offered by two technological devices. Nexi addresses the challenge of developing social robots; Bionic of designing prostheses to incorporate the complexity of emulating the brain-to-nervous-system connection. "Did You Know?" sidebars and illustrations add to accessibility for readers, but babyish book design may deter them. Nexi includes a reading list. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Idea titles: The Nexi Robot and The Bionic Hand.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr