Calling All Minds by Temple Grandin with Betsy Lerner
How to Think and Create Like an Inventor
"if you want to create, you need to take things apart and put them back together with your own hands."
 | Calling All Minds is an intriguing mix of inventor mini-biographies, images of registered inventions from the U.S. Patent office, and step-by step project instructions for youngsters. Grandin frames all these elements within a running narrative describing her personal journey of discovery. She introduces readers to her thinking process, her experiments with various concepts, and schematic drawings of her creations. "There is no better way to start than by making things of your own design. All the projects I made when I was young contributed to the inventions I've made throughout my life. And they have given my life meaning. I hope these projects and the ones you create will do the same for you." The book is organized into five general sections: "Things Made of Paper," "Levers and Pulleys," "Things Made of Wood," "Things That Fly", and "Optical Illusions." Each section includes a cornucopia of material that is loosely connected. Like the discovery process, they do not flow in a strict linear fashion, instead inviting moments of serendipity along the way. |
"Things Made of Paper" chapter callout boxes contain a plethora of STEM-related components. Readers will find brief introductions to the history of these inventions: moveable type, the typewriter, Liquid Paper, scissors, and Crayola crayons. Bonus material includes an explanation of the term QWERTY and a discussion of the Fibonacci "golden ratio." Makers are treated to directions for creating Handmade Paper, Paper Snowflakes, a Crystal Snowflake, a Kaleidoscope, and Water Bombs.
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| | A treasure trove for the curious, creatives, tinkerers, inventors, makers and problem-solvers. It will find a place in libraries, classrooms, after school programs, summer camps, scout troops, homeschool curriculum, professional development collections, as well as personal and family bookshelves. "I observed a situation that needed to be fixed...I could see in my mind how to do that. Then I learned how to draft and communicate my ideas. And that, as far as I can tell is the soul of invention." |
Review based on copy provided by the publisher.
Pub date: May 15, 2018 Publisher: Philomel Books ISBN: 978-1524738204
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