Our Little Inventor

by Sher Rill Ng (Author-Illustrator)

A gorgeous and inspiring picture book about a young girl, Nell, who invents a machine to fix the pollution that is choking the city.

'My invention is ready!' exclaimed Nell. 'I must show it to the people in the Big City. Uncle says he can take me most of the way.'
'It won't work,' scoffed Little Brother.

Little Nell has worked hard to make an invention that will help clean up the pollution in the Big City. But she soon discovers that it can be hard for a girl to get the attention of the people in charge.

A wonderful picture book about a girl with a big idea and a determined spirit, and who just needs a little help to make the world a better place for everyone.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Environment, Science, Engineering

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2019

About the author

Sher Rill Ng is a Naarm/Melbourne-based illustrator. She designed and illustrated for SaaS companies before releasing her first author-illustrated picture book Our Little Inventor in 2019. In 2022, Our Little Inventor was adapted into a children’s opera, composed by Emma Jayakumar and presented by the West Australian Opera. Her work includes middle grade book covers for The Twelve by Cindy Lin, The Rogues by Lian Tanner and Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend by Katie Zhao.

Most recently Sher Rill has illustrated Be Careful, Xiao Xin! written by Alice Pung, for which she was awarded the 2024 IBBY Australia Ena Noël Award for Illustration, and Millie Mak the Maker, which was shortlisted for the 2024 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature.

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nell is a young girl who believes her invention can help the Big City. Nell and her family live in the countryside, but even from such a distance the pollution is clouding the skyline. After a long journey Nell discovers that the problem is much bigger than she realised.

A group of powerful men in the city are quick to dismiss Nell and her invention. Undeterred, Nell continues to work on her invention, making it bigger and better.

I absolutely adore this book! Nell sees a problem and uses her intelligence and creativity to solve it. Her inspirational journey is not success only but her persistence and belief in herself are a shining example to young world changers in the making. I loved that the one adult in the city who sees the potential of Nell’s invention is a woman, whose encouragement made me want to simultaneously jump up and down, hug her and buy her a coffee.

Sher Rill Ng’s story is wonderful and her illustrations are amazing, with a steampunk vibe that’s perfect for this story. The smallness of the girl with the answer to the Big City’s problem is contrasted with the looming size of the city officials who have the power to make a change but don’t.

I’m not entirely sure what I would have made of this book as a kid with little understanding of environmental issues back in the dark ages but if I was a few decades younger I’m certain I would’ve wanted to read it over and over until I came up with my own brilliant idea to fix the world. I’ll definitely be following this author/illustrator’s career.

[ALPHAreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

So - full disclosure! - this is another author/illustrator I rep as agent.

But truly, I LOVE this book. And I adore littler protagonist Nell - the 'Our Little Inventor' of the title.

This book is everything good about changes in youth literature, to a more diverse and inclusive landscape. This story can ultimately be seen as a 'Girls in STEM' celebration, but it's also "cli-fi" (climate fiction) in that it is alluding to younger generations and youth activism rising up to address the problems of our polluted and overheating planet.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gorgeous artwork is the strength of this picture book. It also has good messages about caring for our environment, the willingness (or lack thereof) to listen and persistence in the face of adversity. Finished a little too abruptly to be ultimately satisfying.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love this gorgeous picture book. It has really important themes both about women and about the environment, and it’s great for our little ones to read about this stuff from a young age.

I actually got really into the story and wish it was elaborated upon more, but alas, it’s a short picture book. :)

[Rhyllis Bignell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a dark, dirty world, little Nell invents a machine to combat air pollution. Only one person listens and believes in her invention. Light and shade, muted tones, the illustrations set the mood and beautifully underpin the text. A STEM book ideal for Junior Primary classes = challenge them to invent a machine to combat pollution!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Nell lives near a town with terrible air pollution and invents a machine that will clear the air. She takes on the arduous trek to the town to share her invention bout the the town councillors are derisive and will not listen or even look at her machine. Only the secretary offers support and encouragement. Dejected, Nell returns home, but then she makes a bigger and better machine. Returning to the town, she ignores the town council and shares her machine with the people.

The dark and somber art work perfectly portrays the grimy city, polluted air and downtrodden people. The book celebrates problem solving and resilience but does not really offer a clear indication of just how the machine will work - older readers will pick up on the role of plants in cleaning the air, but a more detailed unpacking of the actual machine and how it functions would add greatly the story. A STEM book ideal for early childhood and primary students to invent a machine to combat pollution.

[Rob O'Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This captivating picture book tells the story of little Nell, who invents a device that will fix the growing problem of air pollution in her city. Though Nell faces resistance from the controlling men of Big City who don’t take her seriously, she is determined to keep working.

With its themes of empowerment, climate change, and resilience in the face of overwhelming challenges, Our Little Inventor is actually a very hopeful story. We should all be like Nell and work towards making a difference for the good of society, regardless of societal expectations and naysayers. Melbourne-based author-illustrator Sher Rill Ng has gifted us with a heartfelt tribute to ingenuity that is beautifully illustrated and touching. An inspiring STEM storybook for our times.

[Shallowreader VaVeros · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this picture book as it tried to tell a story with few words and primarily depending on the illustrations. I don't mind this as a storytelling tool however I don't feel that it was well executed in this picture book. The story cut from text on the page to several wordless pages in a stilted way, and I felt this resulted in a loss of the flow to the story. Even without needing to interpret the illustrations, the book's ending felt unfinished.

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I know this is only a picture book, but, wow, it sure oversimplifies things (hey, let's build a small machine to help purify our air rather than dealing with the underlying causes!...why not start by actually planting some plants NOT in a machine?). The illustrations and underlying idea (perseverance on the part of the little inventor) are 3 stars or 3 and a half, but the overall story, I'd say, is like 2 and a half.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Nell is an inventor who designs a clean air machine and takes it to the Big City capital to show the men in charge of the city. But they are too busy and do not believe what she has will work. But Nell persists and takes a bigger one the next time and the people listen and Nell is successful. She needed to have people believe in her and the machine.

[DonutKnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admire Nell’s determination and belief in her own ability and in her invention. Despite being turned away, she kept going knowing that her invention had the power to make the world a better place 💪 I want to be more like her.
Also the illustrations had beautiful colour contrasts and soft colours that have each page a magical quality ✨

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly told through the art rather than words. And the art is so beautiful. I got this from the library and it has been treated roughly... so I'm not sure if there are pages missing but it does feel like something is missing at the end, it jumps very quickly from "here is the solution" to "happy ending".

[Sofia & Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was about a small girl called Nell. Nell made an invention to stop the pollution in the big city. Then the person who was in charge said to Nell “Go away” but Nell used the invention anyway and stopped the pollution in the big city.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

From little things big things do grow. Nell's remains steadfast and determined to be heard. She is strong in character and resiliency.

[Freddie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are out of this world, with such outstanding visual literacy. The written components just felt a little underwhelming.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous book about a STEM girl that believes she can help clear pollution! The illustrations are truly gorgeous and I can definitely see the story come to life in my head. I can't wait to share this with the baby once she's older.

[Anna Hepworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

read as a judge for Aurealis awards for 2019

beautiful, and I like the idea of there being a simple solution, but I find it disingenuous to have a story about a single person succeeding in the face of the climate deniers in power.