Edison's Fantastic Phonograph - Hardcover

Diana Kimpton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0711218641 ISBN 13: 9780711218642

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Childrens Bks, 2003

Synopsis

Can you imagine life without CDs and videos, without television and radio? Over 100 years ago, none of these things existed, but then Thomas Edison invented a machine that would change the world. This is the story of a scientific genius and how he recorded sound for the first time.

About this title

About the Author:

Diana Kimpton is a writer of books, stories and articles for children and adults. She also administers the Word Pool website. To visit her website click here M. P. Robertson was born in Parsons Green, London. He studied Graphic Design at Hounslow Borough College, where he discovered a love for illustrated books. After leaving Hounslow he spent a year drawing in museums, cathedrals and on the underground before specialising in illustration at Kingston Polytechnic. Among the influences on his style are Mervyn Peake, Heath Robinson and Odile Redon. He believes that more than merely decorating a book, illustration should be integral to the narrative. Among is books for Frances Lincoln are The Egg, The Great Dragon Rescue and The Dragon Snatcher; Hieronymus Betts and his Unusual Pets, Big Brave Brian, The Sandcastle and Food Chain. He lives in Bradford on Avon with his partner and two sons.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3–This picture book shows how Thomas Edison's young daughter encouraged him in the development of the phonograph. Kimpton sets the scene by explaining that there was no radio or television 100 years ago. After showing Dot (who was nicknamed for a Morse code symbol) one of his contraptions, the inventor promises her an exciting surprise and works feverishly until he accomplishes his goal. At the end, he explains to her that people will now be able to listen to music whenever they want to, and the final illustration depicts a 21st-century family sitting on a blanket, with the mother using a CD player with headphones. A one-page biography of Edison is appended, but there is no specific information about the events described in the narrative. The large, realistic paintings are of average quality. On some pages, sketches done in brown ink suggest scientific drawings. The text falls flat, though, and there is no real excitement about the invention. Readers would be better served by a straightforward biography that would provide information without leaving them to wonder what is true and what has been supposed by the author.–Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City
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About this edition

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Childrens Bks
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0711218641
• ISBN 13: 9780711218642
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: M.P. Robertson