Sneed,
Dani. The
Man Who Invented the Ferris Wheel.
Enslow 2014 48p
$23.93 ISBN 978-0-7660-4136-3 elem series: Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas Biography
VG-BNe
This is a history of the Ferris wheel’s
invention and construction for the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893, along with
biographical details of the life of its inventor, George Ferris, written for
elementary school students. The writing
is fairly easy for an average third or fourth grader to read, and there are
many wonderful photos and diagrams to bring the story to life. This book has a number of features to
recommend it: short, well-organized chapters, good photographs, a timeline, a
section on becoming an inventor, a glossary, lists of resources for more
information, and an index.
On the other hand, there are a few flaws that should be corrected in future editions. For one thing, this paragraph may lead to confusion: “By 1890 Chicago buzzed with excitement as it planned the World’s Fair. Three years before at the Paris World’s Fair, all were astonished by the Eiffel Tower.” By all accounts, the tower was not finished construction until 1889, so three years before 1890 (i.e., 1887), nobody would have seen it or been astonished by it. On page 40, in the entry for 1893, the first letter of “June” is not capitalized. And on page 42, a “to” is missing in line 4 from the top. The websites all check out and are very informative.
On the other hand, there are a few flaws that should be corrected in future editions. For one thing, this paragraph may lead to confusion: “By 1890 Chicago buzzed with excitement as it planned the World’s Fair. Three years before at the Paris World’s Fair, all were astonished by the Eiffel Tower.” By all accounts, the tower was not finished construction until 1889, so three years before 1890 (i.e., 1887), nobody would have seen it or been astonished by it. On page 40, in the entry for 1893, the first letter of “June” is not capitalized. And on page 42, a “to” is missing in line 4 from the top. The websites all check out and are very informative.
The series Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas includes books on Les Paul, Philo T. Farnsworth, and Stephanie Kwolek (the inventor of bullet-proof fabric). There are seven titles so far.
Summary: This is a history of the Ferris wheel’s invention and construction
for the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893, along with biographical details of the
life of its inventor, George Ferris, written for elementary school students.
George Ferris,
Inventors --Carol Kennedy
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