Inventors Who Changed the World

by Heidi Poelman, Kyle Kershner (Illustrator)

From the ranging curiosity of Leonardo da Vinci to the dedication and sacrifice of Marie Curie, Little Heroes: Inventors Who Changed the World is a young child's first introduction to the brilliant people who taught us the meaning of perseverance and innovation. Simple text and adorable illustrations tell the contributions of nine renowned inventors from around the world: Cai Lun, Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Grace Hopper, Mary Sherman Morgan, and Nikola Tesla. Inspire your own little inventor with the words of these inventive heroes who changed the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography, Picture Books

20 pages, Board Book

Published October 1, 2018

About the author

Heidi Poelman loves writing about inspiring people and ways to strengthen families. She is the author of several books for children, including the Little Heroes series, A is for Abinadi, A is for Adam, I Can Love Like Jesus, and Jesus Worked Miracles. She is also the author of The Two-Minute Secret to Staying in Love and A Mother's Greatest Gift. Heidi received her degrees in communication from Brigham Young University (BA) and Wake Forest University (MA). She lives in Utah with her best-friend husband and their four bright-eyed children. Learn more at www.heidipoelman.com.

Reviews

[Figgy]

This book offers a great journey through inventors of the past, without some of the less positive details (Marie Curie's radiation sickness, for example).

Though at times the wording is rather too much for a board book, and the reader does have to wonder why it's not in the slightly older picture book package instead... but this would be a great addition to the collection of Baby University books which talk through wonders of STEM in board book format and are designed to teach more complex ideas to kids in the early years.

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this book is in board book form which you usually see used for toddlers, I'm here to say that it's a great book for kids ages 5-8. I teach 2nd grade and I read it to my class. They were utterly fascinated with the inventors presented in the story. My class loved it so much, that they wanted to learn even more in-depth about each inventor.

I also loved that there are male and female inventors spotlighted in this book. The illustrations done by Kyle Kershner are very bright and detailed.They totally engage kids as they read. I like the way that Heidi Poelman gives enough information about each inventor without being boring or going over a child's head. The information makes children curious enough to want to learn more like I discussed earlier in my review.

I recommend this book to all children for school and at home. It's a great book that will start some wonderful discussions with your children.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little board book includes motivational quotes while sharing a simple story of inventors from around the world, including Cai Lun, Grace Murray Hopper, Marie Curie, Johannes Gutenburg, Thomas Edison and several more. I thought the illustrations were dynamic and colorful and would appeal to young children. The way the information was presented was perfect with just enough background on the individual and what they invented to keep the interest of children with short attention spans---and maybe even motivate them to want to know more. I did think it would appeal to all ages, really, because the author shares how many of these inventions impacted our world with some details that I didn't even know. Very well done. I really enjoyed it!

Originally reviewed on http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Heroes: Inventors Who Changed the World by Heidi Poelman is a book that families and schools should definitely add to their collections.

This is the inspiring book about a wide assortment of inventors and how they made their mark on the world. Some of the people featured were men and others were women. They lived in different places and times throughout history. I learned a lot while reading about some of the most important contributions each person made to society. I knew about some of the inventors, like Marie Curie, and the Wright Brother. But others like, Cai Lun were new to me. I had no idea he invented the first piece of paper! Lots of interesting tidbits about inventors including: Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Grace Hopper, Mary Sherman Morgan, and Cai Lun.

The book is written in a way that's easy for young children to understand, but the facts and information can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I really love the pictures. They're so bright and bold- they pull the reader in. I especially liked how the artist, Kyle Kershner, drew the faces.

Reading this story made me happy that these wise men and women were able to ask questions and they didn’t give up on their passions. Little Heroes: Inventors Who Changed the World is a wonderful book for people who like to learn about history in an interesting way. It's a book that will inspire. I bet you will learn something new too!

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the inspiration the Little Heroes books provide young children! This colorful board book shares the experiences of inventors whose discoveries made a huge impact on society. I learned some new things with the lesser known inventors, and was happy to see ones that I recognized as well. Each spread is devoted to one figure, and I love that it has a blurb about what life was like for that inventor as a child, what he or she did to make a change, and a brief inspirational quote from that person. The illustrations are dynamic and adorable, I love this artist's style! A wonderful book that encourages curiosity, finding solutions, and shares the joy of discovery. Perfect for a wide range of ages.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

[Educateempower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a hold of this board book – for readers young and old – and find out more about these inventors who not only changed the world but surprised themselves with the amount of persistence required to finally come up with the invention they did!

We meet Cai Lun from AD 105 who invented paper, Johannes Gutenberg from 1439 who invented a printing press so more books could be read by more people.

Leonardo DaVinci the great artist, Thomas Edison the man who created electricity, Louis Pasteur and his world changing vaccinations, Marie Curie and her persistence to explore a strange blue rock which ended up being one way to fight off cancer and the Wright brothers who created the first aeroplane.

Each person has a story of persistence, courage and self belief.

They all wanted to find an answer and with lots of hard work they did.

This book is perfect for younger readers who do have gifts but don’t quite have the resilience to persist with something when it gets hard.

By looking at people who haven’t achieved fame or fortune immediately (a big problem with social media in this modern age) we can show children that simply trying a new method when the old method doesn’t work can make a huge difference in achieving our goals!

You can talk about the illustrations with really young readers, read the words and have discussions with junior readers and use as a springboard into more in depth research for older readers.

We have loved reading this book – the illustrations really added a lot more fun to these individuals lives for the board book readers in our house. It’s always wonderful to learn more about inspiring people who have made a real difference in the world!

[Mandy Al-Bjaly · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading, reviewing, and loving Heidi Poelman’s Little Heroes: Courageous People Who Changed the World , I happily sought the opportunity to review her new book, Little Heroes: Inventors Who Changed the World.

This cute book is set up the same way as the other, and is just as lovable, from the adorable artwork (thanks to Kyle Kershner), to the bright colors, to the quotes from the heroes, and the descriptions of the wonderful things they did for the world.

It’s such a cute idea to present the heroes in a way children would understand.

I smiled when I saw the Wright Brothers in there. I live in NC, and also have sweet memories of visiting Kitty Hawk often as a child.

I read the book to my three sons, and here was their feedback:

From the 5-year-old: He liked Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers the best because they look cool.

From the 7-year-old: He thought the book was good if you want to learn about inventing. It helps kids realize what people have done back then. He also liked Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers the best. He liked how they kept trying until they got their inventions to work.

From the 13-year-old: He thought this book was a cool way for kids to learn about inventors who changed the world. He liked learning about Cai Lun, the man who created paper, especially. His only constructive feedback was that a pronunciation guide would have been helpful for the harder names.

The book was a winner for all of us. Kids of all ages can appreciate something about the book, and even as an adult, I learned something too!

Get this book. You will love it!

[Anne Rightler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Heroes: Inventors Who Changed the World is a delightful 16-page board book written for pre-school children. Bright colors and figures that are dressed in clothes appropriate for their time period will pique a child's interest. Kyle Kershner has done a great job as the illustrator for this series. Author Heidi Poelman has chosen eight men and women from a variety of time periods, countries and fields of expertise and given just a snippet of information about them and their invention. With simple text about these heroes who invented things from the invention of paper and the printing press to the invention of the light bulb and vaccines, this book will be a welcome addition to any child's library. I received a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to read about some of the world's greatest inventors. And as in the previous book, the illustrations are adorable and appealing. As one would expect in a board book for young listeners and readers, there isn't a lot of detail about the inventors or their inventions. But there is enough to share the idea that people create some remarkable things. It would have been nice however for more than just one person of color (Cai Lun) to be highlighted, the other eight inventors were all white. Plus, only two out of the nine were female. A little more diversity would have been appreciated by myself. In addition, Thomas Edison continues to get credit for work that he did not complete on his own. An appealing book that could have been better.

[Kaytlynn Menke]

This is definitely for younger age elementary students, but it is a great jumping off point for further conversations on figures who helped shape the world. Obviously this book could be paired with a science lesson on gravity, light, how topics have progressed throughout history, then and now comparisons. Lots of options. It just depends on the depth in which you have discussed these ideas with your students. Also, this book can be found as a mildly animated book on Vooks...which is a site dedicated to video and audio books for kids. So, you could even do a paired visual and auditory component with this.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about inventors who helped to change the world. She has included both men and women. She included some inventors we know about, but also wrote about others that we know little about. She has included little bits of information that will be memorable to children.

The book is easy for children to understand and very informative as well. The pictures are vibrant and bold. I highly recommend this book as part of your children's library. It would be a great gift for parents and grandparents to give children for a special occasion.

[Andrés · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history and science book for readers of any age. The formula of the text works: 1) little inventor did this 2) grown-up inventor did that 3) eye-catching quote bubble with text, and the illustrations expand the knowledge of the person with the backdrops for the cartoony characters. Happily, female inventors are included. Interestingly, my book (2018) has a few different inventors than the ones listed in the Goodreads summary (also 2018). In: Johannes Gutenberg, Louis Pasteur Out: Mary Sherman Morgan and Nikola Tesla.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the topic, and I love that there are books like this for the youngest readers. However, there is a curlicue kind of font used in major parts throughout that is really inaccessible for young readers just beginning to recognize letters, and there is a huge overuse of exclamation points. Cute concept that could have done with improved editing.

[Raymond Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former history teacher, I enjoyed reading this book. First, it's good there is a diversity of characters from different ethnicities and genders. I also enjoyed the quotes. It's important for children to read educational books such as this to inspire them to greatness..

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story for kids of all ages to learn sbout key inventions and a basic understanding of how they were made and what impact they have. Then as an activity have them create their own inventions great for their imagination

[Haylee Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book but it did disappoint a little. It goes through multiple inventors that have impacted history, and giving an overview of that person. I feel as if this would be a fun book for younger grades and inspire young inventors!

[Jocelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for little ones who are interested in history. An informative book for parents about inventors who created things that are a part of our lives.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a lovely book but I have to give it 3 stars because my 5 year old asked why there were only boys when we had been reading more than half the book, which is true and kind of sad.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book!!

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to this story was kind of cool. It was great to see the expressions on our kinders faces when they found out who invented light bulbs.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love this book, especially the diversity of the inventors highlighted, but it's waaay too complicated for a board book.

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much from this short book. It focused on a few inventors, had a little write up about what they invented/are known for and then had wonderful illustrations.

[Reading]

Quite simple

[Franci · Rating 4 out of 5]

#121 of 2020

Even though this book is for little kids, I learned a lot from it!

#55 of 2024

Listened to it with my son, Edward.