Samuel Todd's Book of Great Inventions

by E. L. Konigsburg

Overview

Meet Samuel Todd
When he wakes up, Samuel Todd looks in the mirror to make sure he's still Samuel Todd. The mirror is just the first of the great inventions that Samuel Todd celebrates every day. From the belt loops and Velcro that make it easier to get and stay dressed, to the training wheels that make four wheels twice as good as three, to one last check with the mirror before bedtime (yes, he's still Samuel Todd), his day is filled with important inventions that make his life better — and more fun.
Who but two-time Newbery Medalist E.L. Konigsburg could so perfectly capture a child's wonder at everyday miracles like step stools and french fries?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689832024
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/01/1999
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.70(h) x 2.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

E.L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor in the same year. In 1968, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the Newbery Medal and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was named a Newbery Honor Book. Almost thirty years later she won the Newbery Medal once again for The View from Saturday. Among her other acclaimed books are Silent to the Bone, The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, and The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World.

Editorial Reviews

This Newbery winner's second picture book, after Samuel Todd's Book of Great Colors , again centers on her oldest grandchild. Here, the bespectacled Samuel muses on familiar items he considers worthwhile inventions. The genial child shares his views on the importance of mirrors, belt loops, Velcro, gloves, backpacks, training wheels, ladders, candles, boxes and Halloween. But to Samuel, the telephone and television are not particularly impressive inventions; rather, ``They come with the house like mothers and windows and fathers and walls.'' Kids and adults alike will appreciate the humor--and the truth--in Samuel's astute observations, which are likely to open young eyes to numerous ``great inventions'' they've hitherto taken for granted. Konigsburg's affection for her perspicacious grandson shines through her boldly colored paintings, effectively juxtaposed with smaller drawings that simulate black-and-white photos. Ages 4-7. ( Sept. )

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-- In this companion volume to Samuel Todd's Book of Great Colors (Atheneum, 1990), a boy offers random observations and appreciation of everyday things, from the marvel of mirrors to the ups and downs of belt loops and the advantages of Velcro. On the surface, the concept and the language are straightforward, but are presented with a sophistication that may be a bit confusing to young readers accustomed to concrete plot lines. For the most part, the musings themselves reflect a genuinely childlike perspective and are brilliant flashes of clarity that will provide fresh insight into one's surroundings. A few, however, may be slightly abstruse for the average picture-book audience: ``. . . I don't think the telephone and television are great inventions. They come with the house like mothers and windows and fathers and walls.'' Meticulously executed full-color paintings realistically depict Samuel Todd's perceptions, while overlays of black-and-white snapshot-style pencil sketches that feature a multicultural cast of children further illustrate his commentary. --Starr LaTronica, North Berkeley Library, CA

School Library Journal