Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives

by Gene Barretta

What do record players, batteries, and movie cameras have in common?
All these devices were created by the man known as The Wizard of Menlo Park: Thomas Edison.
Edison is most famous for inventing the incandescent lightbulb, but at his landmark laboratories in Menlo Park & West Orange, New Jersey, he also developed many other staples of modern technology.  Despite many failures, Edison persevered. And good for that, because it would be very difficult to go through a day without using one of his life-changing inventions. In this enlightening book, Gene Barretta enters the laboratories of one of America’s most important inventors.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Science, History, Childrens, Biography Memoir

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 17, 2012

About the author

Gene Barretta is the author and illustrator of Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin and Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci. He is also author and illustrator of Dear Deer, which was a Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts and listed on the Parenting Magazine Mom-Tested Books of the Year List.

He holds a B.F.A. in Film Studies from New York University, and has worked for many years in film and television production. Gene is also the older brother of Muppet performer, writer and director, Bill Barretta.

He lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania with his wife and son.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/geneba...

Reviews

[Inhabiting Books]

Timeless Thomas: How Edison Changed Our Lives is Gene Barretta's latest release about Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, electric pen, storage battery, and so much more. It has a similar style to Barretta's other two biographical non-fiction picture books: Neo Leo and Now and Ben. It's not so much a biography as it is a record of Edison's technological achievements. On the surface you might not think that a book about an older man's achievements would be very appealing to young children. You'd be wrong. My girls found it immensely appealing.

Barretta showcases technology that we in the modern world take for granted, things we use everyday without a second thought. He juxtaposes a page showcasing present-day technology with pages showcasing the technology coming out of Edison's lab, showing how those early technological accomplishments made today's technology possible. Fun to read and very informative, with clear and simple text that is easily understood by kids of the target age group. The illustrations provide a perfect visual accompaniment that is immensely appealing.

My nine year old non-fiction-loving Olivia saw it in the Amazon shipment that arrived a few months ago, snatched it up and ran off to her bedroom. (I had pre-ordered it so it would arrive on its release date.) She came back shortly with a huge smile on her face and spent the next twenty minutes telling me everything she learned from the book. She had never before thought about the origins of the technology that she uses daily. It has been read times since then. I love great non-fiction picture books.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book biography of Thomas Edison presents information about his most famous inventions by comparing people of the present day using modern versions with what was developed in Edison's lab. I think the back and forth between the present and the past is a good way to help young readers relate to the inventions and appreciate the hard work that went into bringing them to fruition. This could be a good mentor text for informational writing and a great resource for research.

[Catherine Fevery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story is a great read for children teaching them of the famous man Thomas Edison and his experiments, and how it has affected us now. The story explores the different inventions and experiments Edison has conducted. Such as experimenting with electrical power, how the invention of batteries came about and movies, X-ray, telephone transmitters, light bulbs as well as several other great ideas. If it weren’t for Edison we wouldn’t be any where near as advanced as we are with technology as we are today and this book portrays how far we’ve come and that a great thanks can be paid to Thomas Edison. The pictures in the book could be better would be my only complaint. Overall the book was well written and I would recommend this book to parents who are looking for an interesting educational book for their child. It is an educational book that is great for elementary students and it introduces and educates kids on Edison’s experiments and inventions and illustrates how things came about in our children’s generation today.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done! I had no idea we owe Edison the debt of gratitude we do for his huge store of valuable helps in the world of invention.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've read Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin and Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci and we like his way of teaching children about famous scientists and inventors without being overly detailed and boring. So when we attended a science program at our local library and I saw that this was one of the books that was featured in the back for people to borrow, I just had to add it to our pile of books.

This biography about Thomas Alva Edison is entertaining, informative and helps children understand the impact of his inventions in today's life. The narrative is short enough to keep a young child's attention and the illustrations are fantastic. I love the picture of his Menlo Park Laboratory (pp. 8-9), where you can see a pet bear cub snoozing on the floor and a pipe organ in the middle.

The information provided in the back that shows the myriad talents that came together in his labs really emphasizes the collaborative effort to bring together different sciences. And the trivia facts are interesting, too.

Overall, we found this book to offer a fascinating look into a famous man's life. I have to admit that I probably learned as much about Mr. Edison as our girls did. We really enjoyed reading this book together and we will certainly look for more books by this author at our local library.

[Stephanie Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This a non-fiction narrative of the life and inventions of Thomas Edison and how they have continued to impact lives long after their conception.

Evaluation: Timeless Thomas is one of the best books about Thomas Edison and his inventions that I have found. The illustrations are appealing for children and add life to the story. The book gives some background before moving in to describe which present-day conveniences we have available and how Edison's inventions were the basis for today's technology. The Present-day page and the Edison's Lab page are facing one another, in a compare and contrasts-style layout. One of my personal favorite lines in the book is on pg.9 where the book says, "Edison used his failures as a necessary part of inventing. "I know several thousand things that WON'T work." And he would always try again. Also included at the back of the book are the names of some of the people who worked alongside of Edison at his labs. In my opinion, this is a great addition to the book because it is important for students to understand that great inventors and scientists almost always have a hard-working team behind them.

Teaching Idea: This book is the ideal choice for teaching the 5th grade standards on Inventors at the turn of the century and how their inventions impacted modern-day life. For younger grades, the book would make a good choice for a lesson on comparing and contrasting.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade level: First- Third Grade
Awards: None
Summary: Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta is a story about all the inventions that Thomas Edison came up with. Thomas Edison is recognized for the creation of the lightbulb but he invented many other modern devices that we use today. This book talks about how difficult it would be to go through a day without using one of Thomas Edison's life-changing inventions.
Review: I loved reading this book; young children will be amazed by how many inventions Thomas Edison created besides the lightbulb. This book contains illustrations that bring the text to life for the reader. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an informative children's book on one of our greatest inventors Thomas Edison. This book may even inspire students to create their own inventions.
Classroom uses: This book can be used in the classroom to spark a conversation on the world's greatest inventors. This book can also be used to ask students what they think is the greatest invention of all time. Students could also create and write about their own invention that they would like to create one day. There are many creative ways this book could be used in the classroom.

[Ying Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
Copyright: 2012

Cell phones, movies, radios, copy machines, and vending machines that we use and enjoy in our daily lives are from ideas of one of the greatest inventors, Thomas Edison. Most people know that the indispensable incandescent lightbulbs are invented by Thomas Edison, but what people may not know is that Edison improved Alexander Graham Bell's telephone to transmit voices and sound farther and louder. Also, Edison creates the first camera for motion pictures (i.e. Kinetograph) and builds the first movie studio. Over the course of his life, he has 1093 patents for his inventions and ideas. This book provides a brief introduction to Thomas Edison's life as an inventor. By juxtaposing pictures of what we use in present days and what happened in Thomas' lab, readers can have a preliminary understanding as to how Edison's innovative ideas have improved our lives today. Also, readers can't miss the fun facts about Edison included at the end of the book. From there, readers will know Edison's passion for science by reading his life incidents about his use of Morse code to propose to his wife and his nicknaming his two children as "Dot" and "Dash."

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Today we are going to read about Thomas Edison, the inventor of many modern conveniences we take for granted every day, such as a lightbulb. Once an invention is created, the inventor must apply for a patent to legally own that creation. Do you know how many patents Thomas Edison was awarded in his lifetime? The answer is over 1,000! Let's start reading to see what other aspects of our daily lives have been impacted by his inventions.

2. Provide important background information. Lay groundwork to allow students to start connecting the topic with our larger theme.

3. This book allows students to easily make connections between this Influential Historical Leader and many of the conveniences they use on a daily basis. Each page shows how an invention Thomas Edison created a long time ago has benefits for us still today, and the book uses photos of children to help them relate as well.

4. (August 1, 2012). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#

[Esther Choi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations and story in this book makes it very enjoyable and engaging to read for children. This book focuses on the life and inventions of Thomas Edison. It introduces him in the beginning and then every page compares our "present day" activities such as photocopying or recording, to "Edison's Lab" to show how it all began from his inventions and ideas. It also gives a good "moral" lesson that whenever he discovered something to work, he also discovered thousands of things that DIDN'T work. This would be a good themed lesson to young children to think positive and never give up. This would be an ideal lesson for the higher grades when they start learning about famous inventors/thinkers.

Reading Level: 5.5
Interest Level: K-3
Accelerated Reading level: 5.5
Guided Reading Level: O
Fountas & Pinnell: O

[Jeffrey Mohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read aloud book for 2-3 grade and is a good introduction to Thomas Edison and his many contributions to modern day life. I liked that the story is set up to encourage kids to think about things in their own lives and how they might make them better. It has a good message that even as kid you can start on a journey towards creating inventions that might one day change the world as well as teaching them that failure isn't bad because you can learn a lot from failure. All in all it is a decent book but I do have to criticize the fact that it doesn't really play up the roles that the people Thomas Edison employed had in creating the inventions. It does mention them a couple of times but always then plays up his role in the inventions. Other then that I find it is a good book for use in the classroom and has a good message.

[Alexandria Stephens]

Timeless Thomas is a picture book about the affect Thomas Edison had on our lives. The story examines all the different inventions Thomas Edison created and how one invention led to another which ultimately provided us with things we use everyday. Thomas Edison is known for inventing the light bulb but he made many other extraordinary things with technology as well. There are numerous biographies on Edison but this one is interesting because it focuses on how we would not be as advances technologically without the work of Thomas Edison. This story can be used as a vocabulary lesson. There are many terms in the story that may be unfamiliar to children. A lot of the terms are technological and students may have a difficult time comprehending. This book would be directly related to science and students can look up words they are unfamiliar with to better understand the text.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle tells it all---"How Edison Changed Our Lives". Highlights several of Edison's first experiments at the Menlo Park NJ Invention Factory and the second lab in West Orange NJ. He surrounded himself with scientists, mechanics, engineers, and artisans, and they eventually filled 3000 notebooks. The writing style, diagrams, and the illustrations offer a basic explanation of Edison's inventions. This book can easily be used in a "Past and Present" unit since each double spread shows the current utilization of Edison's invention, and the work in Edison's Lab to develop the idea. Lots of little details tucked inside the artwork which was executed in watercolor on Arches cold-press paper. Includes a Bibliography and Thomas Trivia. A pipe organ and baby bear in the Menlo Park Lab?

[Jen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless Thomas is a beautifully illustrated account of the many ways Thomas Edison's inventions touch our lives today. Each page showcases technology we use today and how it was made possible because of the experiments that took place in Edison's laboratory. The illustrations, diagrams, timelines, and charts are colorful and easy to understand. This is a great book to use while teaching students about text features. I would read this book as a read aloud in my Hall of Fame elective. Read this book to learn about the inventions of the Wizard of Menlo Park.
Genre: Informational
Grade Level: K-5

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I Thought- I really liked how Mr. Barretta set this book up. Mr. Barretta focuses on things we have in the present day, and how they were inspired by Edison’s inventions. He explains how Edison worked, and how he failed several times. The book shows how through failure, reworking, and ingenuity, Edison succeeded. The message of failure is something I hear a lot about and I think it’s good for kids to hear how many times someone fails before they succeed. The illustrations share information and inject a bit of humor throughout the book. Mr. Barretta has created a nice biography picture book that is instructional, entertaining and inspiring.
*NOTE* I reviewed a library copy of this book

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do record players, batteries, and movie cameras have in common?
All these devices were created by the man known as The Wizard of Menlo Park: Thomas Edison.
Edison is most famous for inventing the incandescent lightbulb, but at his landmark laboratories in Menlo Park & West Orange, New Jersey, he also developed many other staples of modern technology. Despite many failures, Edison persevered. And good for that, because it would be very difficult to go through a day without using one of his life-changing inventions. In this enlightening book, Gene Barretta enters the laboratories of one of America’s most important inventors.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book biography of Thomas Edison gives a colorful look at what he invented and how it is being used today. The “present day” vs “Edison's lab” layout on facing pages seems slightly backwards to me, though. It feels as if the lab should be first and then showing today's uses for the items. Regardless, it is a very interesting look at the many things that Edison created despite many failures and mistakes. It does not allude to any of his competitors other than a brief nod to Alexander Graham Bell.

[Nashay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the life of Thomas Edison and all of his inventions. Most being created in his landmark laboratories in Menlo Park and West Orange, New Jersey. Items created by Edison include: record players, batteries, X-ray, telephone transmitters, movie cameras, and incandescent light bulbs, which all have become life changing inventions.
This is an informational book on the life of Thomas Edison. It would best be integrated into a science or social studies lesson. This is a picture book so it is suitable for lower elementary level students.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very valuable book to own! It highlights many of Edisons well known (and some not so well known) inventions. Lots of neat trivia in this book. For instance, Edison introduced "hello" as the official telephone greeting. Alexander Graham Bell wanted to use "ahoy, hoy." Can you imagine?

I loved this book! 5 stars all the way! The book is amazing, and the illustrations were just as amazing!

This book would be great for a science or history class as a read aloud for just about any grade from 2nd on up! There were things in here I didn't even know! I highly recommend it!

[Lady Lioness · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I like this one because it actually highlights the fact that Edison was the Steve Jobs of his era. Like Jobs's, he's the household name everyone knows, but he actually had brilliant people working under him who helped him turn vision into reality. The layout is a little odd, but I think this is a good resource for an elementary school biography project. One note, though, the bibliography included in the additional materials is aimed at older readers.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable picture book about Thomas Edison and his inventions, explaining how we use them today or what they evolved into in modern times. Cartoony cute illustrations, with big-headed characters, which include drawings of his real colleagues/employees and lists who was who. Not a full biography of Edison, and tells the story out of chronological order, by invention, in clear simple text. For youngest readers. Has short bibliography and "Thomas Trivia" (the lab had a pet bear cub for a while!).

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Edison and some of his inventions in this book. I recognized early on that there were similarities to "Neo Leo" (and it is the same author/illustrator). Loved the trivia at the end. And really neat that some of his employees were mentioned and included in the illustrations throughout the book. Fun facts and delivered in an easy way--not too dry and able to connect today's reader (and what they use) to what he did then.

2014-2015 Beehive nominee

[Kermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars

The content is really interesting, but the illustrations seem like they could be more polished.

Edison invented a lot of stuff! Interesting tidbit----he proposed to his wife via Morse code, and she replied with Morse code. Interesting tidbit----Edison worked on an early version of the telephone----he is credited with people saying "hello" as they answered a phone----Alexander Graham Bell thought that people should say "ahoy ahoy" when they answered the phone.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I really liked about this book is how it showed side-by-side how modern technology was influenced by Edison's inventions. It's kind of cool to see where things like movies and iPods and copy machines originally came from. Plus, it's explained in such a way that kids can understand and might want to know more about Edison (and then from there, I guess they can get into the whole sticky Edison vs. Tesla drama if they want to, but that's neither here nor there).

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This science picture book examines the work of Thomas Edison, comparing conditions in the present with Edison's original invention or discovery that made today's conveniences possible. Most people associate Edison with the electric light bulb, but few can name many of his over 1000 other inventions and patents. Young readers will undoubtedly appreciate the "Wizard of Menlo Park" much more after having shared this engaging work.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book for student to learn about Thomas Edison's inventions and contributions to technology. This book illustrates and discusses Edison's inventions and the current invention that exists to replace his. It is a wonderful book to use for research or to simply teach students not to give up.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can learn quite a few little interesting tidbits if you pay attention to the small print and the back matter in this book.

The illustrations were actually my favorite part, though.

The comparisons of what we use now versus how it was based on a T.E. invention could be useful to our first grade teachers who talk about now and then.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The format of this book was interesting, although a bit unusual. It connected present-day technology on the left side of the spread with something Edison had done on the right side of the spread. It felt a little clunky at times, but worked! Writing and illustrations are appropriate for budding inventors.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is packed with accessible and interesting information about Thomas Edison and is presented in a way that helps children understand the impact of a life that lived over 100 years ago. Good emphasis was placed on Edison's failures and how some of them birthed unexpected successes. The illustration is part of the story and leads the reader on journey through Edison's inventions.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Thomas Edison and his inventions. Beginning has a brief description of who he is/what he did, and then each spread after shows one of his inventions in his lab compared to "present day." Great illustrations! Back matter includes a list/description of Edison's employees, trivia questions, and a bibliography.