THE KID WHO INVENTED THE TRAMPOLINE

As in The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle (1997), Wulffson briefly relates the development of 50 things we take for granted, from books to graham crackers to napkins to toilet paper. In a few paragraphs or a few pages, he engagingly describes the impetus behind the creation and popularity of these items. Fun tidbits are related in sidebars, and plenty of illustrations make the book look full of life on every page. Some of the captions and sidebars are curious—next to the history of book publishing, Wulffson points out that it took Margaret Mitchell 10 years to write Gone with the Wind—or misplaced—a sidebar about Kevlar appears before its definition in the text. But as this book is a browser, most readers will gloss over these parts. Some might be misled by the title; these are not all stories about kid inventors. In fact, the kid who thought up the trampoline didn’t come up with its design until he was an adult. It’s not even always about the actual invention: the entry for Animated Cartoons is mostly about Walt Disney. With no bibliography or documentation, this won’t get students very far on their invention reports, but it will surprise and entertain them, and keep them flipping its pages. (Nonfiction. 8-14)