description: Grade 4-6-- For those readers who feel as though they've yet to accomplish anything in life, these discoveries will come as a great relief. None of the inventions described in these pages were planned; in fact, some of the inventors had no idea they'd stumbled on something useful until years later, when their works became popular. Jones covers both patented inventions (Silly Putty, Popsicles, Coca Cola) and generic ones (bricks, donut holes, cheese). She also throws in some place names whose monikers were coined accidentally. The loony watercolor sketches and all the extras here--fun facts, recipes, and anecdotes--are perfect for browsing. This book covers material similar to that in Wulffson's The Invention of Ordinary Things (Lothrop, 1981) and Steven Caney's Invention Book (Workman, 1985), but both are without the specific slant of "mistaken discovery." The only detriment to this otherwise versatile book is the cartoon stereotypes of the Eskimo, Native American, and Chinese man. --Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public LibraryCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
language: English
title: Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be
titlecomplete: Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be
genres: Historical, Picture Books, Growth Mindset, Juvenile, Science, Nonfiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Childrens, History
ratings_count: 764
publisher: Diane Books Publishing Company