Impossible Inventions

by Małgorzata Mycielska, Daniel Mizieliński (Illustrator), Aleksandra Mizielińska (Illustrator)

When Leonardo da Vinci invented the tank, car, helicopter, glider,parachute, submarine, lift and telescope, over 500 years ago, he was considered a dreamer. Or even crazy. Today he is understood to be agenius, ahead of his time.

This book collects ancient and modern inventions. Some are revolutionary, others comical, others were simply impossible. But each of them testifies to the extraordinary imaginations of their inventors.You will find here a flying bicycle, bubble telegraph, passenger clouds and passenger birds, mechanical chess players, a water clock, a concentration hood and many more incredible ideas.

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

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Lian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more. The concept is great but there are a lot of layout issues with the text, with some columns reading left to right and some up and down. The text is also badly edited and awkward to read, though that could be a translation issue. Bizarre double page spreads of people marveling at each invention are random and serve no purpose, and what the characters are saying don’t make sense. The book would have been better without them. The book is still useful and interesting, despite these issues.

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stylish illustrations, with interesting content about imaginative inventions.

Picked this up hoping to take it out to schools, and found it interesting enough that I finished it, but I missed photographs of the actual inventions (where possible). It also was confusing which inventions did work and which did not (despite the title). Some of the humor seemed lost in translation (this is a translated polish work).

Fun to flip through, though!

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is aimed at 5-11 year olds and captures limited basic tidbits of info for a handful (28) of ideas and inventions from around the "world" (mostly Europe and the USA). Each invention/idea is given a two-page spread with illustrations showing some info on how it worked (or was supposed to work) and is followed by a two-page silly illustration of people reacting to said item in-use. Often these pages feature a chicken fear-laying an egg while running across the page. These pages are funny and could appeal to the younger crowd while the information about the devices might draw the readers closer to the top of the suggested age range. Each entry has a title, a date (or rough time-period), some info, and illustrations.

Anything you didn’t like about it? The only "index" is a table of contents at the back of the book with a tiny square illustration and the title of the idea/invention with the page number. The entries are in no discernible order and hop around in time period; area of the world; style of device. There's not enough info on any of them to really let kids grasp the science behind them and the subtitle is misleading as many/most of the entries are for items that DON'T work (or have never been built/tested). It's definitely European/US-focused as well and that's disappointing; especially as there are a lot of very similar devices which could have been left out to make room for some inventions from elsewhere.

To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) The illustrations after each entry's technical 2-page spread feels a bit like the busy and silly Richard Scary style.

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars This book was so cool! I learned a lot. It has all the elements of a good informational book. It gives me enough details to explain things but encourages me to look deeper. I found myself googling some of the crazy inventions... and it was fun!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the ingenuity of humans! In this often-humorous book, readers encounter various inventions through the ages, some of them absolutely ridiculous and never to get off the drawing board, and others that actually have been tested out. I loved the land yacht, the eco exerciser, the bubble messenger, and candle clocks, but each of the 28 inventions featured here is interesting in and of itself and worthy of the brief description provided in the text. The inventions all receive two pages featuring what their design and some information, followed by a two-page cartoon in which onlookers are either charmed, dismayed, shocked or skeptical about the invention and its inventor. Interestingly, some of these ideas are centuries old while others are modern. Although it might be nice to have even more information about each of these inventions, this book is sure to prompt interest on the part of fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh graders to learn more and maybe even try to come up with a design of their own. Most notably, readers won't be able to escape the awareness of humans' determination to find a way to fly even while several feathered friends scamper across the pages, secure in the knowledge that they keep failing. As I closed the book, I smiled to think of what inventions might be lying in wait in someone's garage or office, just waiting to revolutionize our world.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite part of this book is actually the beginning when the author discusses what it takes to become an inventor. I use that section with my students to help them understand that anyone can do anything. There are some really bizarre inventions in this book that make sense with the subtitle - ideas that shouldn't work. It goes to show just how far people can go to try to solve a problem and the creativity people have (some of it is really weird!) The pictures and diagrams are nice and large so students that don't like a lot of reading can gain information just by reading the pictures that interest them the most.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of strange-looking inventions throughout the ages, illustrated and described for young readers (I would suggest, for ages 5-10). This book has benefitted from a stylish and colourful design. There is a lot of humour generated by the illustrations. There is one inexplicable, distracting issue - there does not seem to be any logical order to the collection; they are not arranged chronologically or by purpose, as might be expected.

[Kaia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My nine-year-old enjoyed the wacky inventions, and we did learn some interesting facts. The text, however, was difficult to follow (large images interrupting small sections of text which sometimes read left to right and sometimes top to bottom). After each entry, there is a also two page drawing of the invention in use with spectators making comments, but may of these don't make a lot of sense or add much to the book.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title didn't really fit the book. It wasn't very appealing to the eye and I wish it went more into the science and engineering behind making the product and why it would work or how to improve on it.

[Melissa Orth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wacky inventions, most of which do or did not work in real life. Wish there was more backstory on several of the contraptions and that the text layout flowed more logically. This will be a fun book to book talk to 6th grader alongside Accidents May Happen by Charlotte Jones.

[Deidra Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

We loved reading through this and looking up a few of them to learn more. It’s fun to think about how we create products. I would have appreciated a few photos, but I understand why they chose not to include photos in this collection. The design is beautiful.

[Mel Schuit · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an amaizing way to learn and understand with amaizing illustrations read it in 2 days and very happy x

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved learning about past machines and inventions. Really very cool.

[Meisbres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever had an idea for something that you wished existed? Inventors take their wishes and try to turn them into reality. A passenger dragon. A personal cloud maker. A bubble messenger. You won’t believe the ideas this book contains. Prepare to be amazed.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed it