The Man Who Invented the Ferris Wheel: The Genius of George Ferris

George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. was an American engineer. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where he was a member of the Rensselaer Society of Engineers, in the class of 1881 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He was made a member of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alumni Hall of Fame in 1998. He is most famous for creating the original Ferris Wheel for the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition.

Gr 2–4—Each volume highlights a little-known inventor and explains how his invention came about. Struggles and successes are mentioned equally, showing the realistic trial and error of inventing. The texts are accompanied by numerous photos and diagrams; they are accessible to primary-grade children while at the same time being interesting and informative enough for older and reluctant readers. A bonus section called "You Be The Inventor" relates a story of a girl who recently invented an item, encouraging readers that they too can create and invent and even be taken seriously. This section outlines the basic steps to finding out if an idea is unique and patent-worthy. The drawback is that this section is identical in each volume, making it redundant for youngsters who read multiple books in the series. Overall, these colorful titles are engaging, informative, and well packaged.—Carol Hirsche, Provo City Library, UT

Books in the Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas series offer colorful, accessible introductions to individual American inventors. Each book features five chapters of text, laid out in wide-spaced lines of fairly large type. Illustrations include contemporary color photos as well as period photos of the inventor from childhood through adulthood. In each book, the back matter has an identical, chapter-length section of advice and encouragement called “You Be the Inventor.” Ferris Wheel introduces George Ferris, the engineer who designed and built the original ride for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. While older students will crave more information, books in the series do serve a practical purpose, presenting a simple account of the inventor’s life and work in an attractive format. Some libraries may have volumes on the same subjects from an earlier version of the series, Genius at Work! Great Inventor Biographies. There are updates on the time line and bibliography pages. Caution: although the authors are the same, the books have been retitled. Grades 2-4. --Carolyn Phelan