(3) 4-6 Very Important People series. Illustrated by Daniel Duncan. In seven chapters geared toward third and fourth graders, Patrick discusses engineer and inventor Latimer's life and work. Born in 1848 to fugitive slaves in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Latimer's remarkable career included work for Alexander Graham Bell and (indirectly) Thomas Edison. Inviting illustrations in blue and gray tones help break up the readable text. Frequent sidebars elaborate on topics in the main text (patents, the Industrial Revolution) and introduce Lewis's contemporaries (Booker T. Washington; "Other Nineteenth-Century Inventors"). The book ends with a list of Lewis's patents, a timeline, brief bios of four modern-day African American inventors, and an extensive bibliography.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn