Calling All Minds: How To Think and Create Like an Inventor

Temple Grandin is a world-famous inventor. This book follows her through her childhood as she remembers all her early inventions. There are five chapters covering paper, levers and pulleys, wood, flight, and optical illusions. I absolutely love this book! I haven’t read very many books that people have written about themselves, so I thought it was really cool that I got to see it from her point of view. Also, I love inventions!

In each chapter, there are inserts about famous scientists who created important things that we use everyday. In the chapter called “Things Made of Paper,” there are inserts about the scientists who invented the printing press and modern paper. It also has sections on the different printers throughout the ages, the different kinds of scissors, and counting patterns in nature. Sometimes the inserts have funny titles, and there are blueprints and diagrams of the inventions as well as photos of the inventors. In each chapter, there are also instructions for simple toys like sail boats but also harder things like 3D glasses. You can find most of the materials around the house, and there are 25 projects in all. I especially like all the activities. There is one called the water bomb that looks really cool, where you take an origami cube, fill it with water and throw it. I’m really looking forward to doing it. This book is educational and fun, and you will absolutely love it!