In comic-strip format, Williams introduces facts about selected inven tors from different times and different parts of the world, beginning with Johannes Gutenberg and the invention of moveable type and ending with a potpourri of her favorite inventors who invented such items as the paper clip and the baby stroller. The amount of information varies from two pages of facts for major inventors such as James Watt, George Stephenson, and Thomas Edison to clips of information about inventors of “Useful Things” (18) and women inventors. There is, in addition, a nice double-page spread devoted to the Wrights’ “flying invention” (26–27). hc

Originally published as Three Cheers for Inventors! by Walker Books Great Britain, in 2005.

Hip, hip, hooray! Marcia Williams wields her witty comic-book style to applaud the creators of inventions that changed the world — and to inspire the inventor in us all.

What are your eight favorite inventions, and who were the persevering minds behind them? In a style as vivacious and accessible as ever, Marcia Williams honors the fine folks who brought us the printing press, the steam condenser, the steam train, the electric light, all of them stepping stones to ever more awesome inventions to come. Interspersed are brief snapshots of more than a hundred other inventions, from toothpaste to toilet paper rolls, the World Wide Web to, yes, sliced bread. There's also a tribute to women inventors — the force behind such indispensable items as windshield wipers, submarine telescopes, and bulletproof vests.