DOTTY INVENTIONS
and Some Real Ones Too
by Roger McGough & illustrated by Holly Swain
With help from her robot Digby, young scientist Dotty Dabble enters such ill-conceived inventions as nasal floss, voice-activated socks, and thermal dentures in a competition. Being a legend in her own mind, Dotty also takes credit for the ball-point pen, Velcro, the Frisbee, parachutes, and several other familiar items—claims that Digby, after a bit of fact-checking, quickly scotches. Cartoons illustrate inventions both useful and cockamamie in action; in the end, Digby’s the surprise winner, outscoring self-correcting pens, stereo umbrellas, digital deck chairs, and like competitors. As with Until I Met Dudley: How Everyday Things Really Work (1997), the mix of notably silly flights of fancy followed by corrective straight dope at least helps to demythologize everyday technology in an entertaining way (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10)