Clarion Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women

Sadly I received a bent damaged copy and a perfect copy in the same flat parcelI am sick of being sent things that were clearly damaged when packaged

I read this book in combination with Rachel Ignotofsky's Women in Science, regretting that civilization has not as yet advanced a point when achievements no longer need be identified as gender-specific. Be that as it may, both books provide valuable information and insights about creative thinking.Catherine Thimmesh's coverage covers a timeframe from 3000 BC when fourteen-year-old Hsi-ling-shi develops a method of gathering and weaving silk until 1994 when eleven-year-old Alexia Arnold designs the Ooops! Proof No-Spill Feeding Bowl.In between, we learn about other women -- often teenage -- who come up with ideas that also illustrate the prescience of these comments by Francea Hodgson Burnett: "At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done -- then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago." I wish I had a dollar for every time I learned about the origin of a breakthrough idea and asked, "Why didn't I think of that?"Here are some other examples:o Ruth Wakefield: Toll House chocolate cookieso Mary Andersen: windshield wiperso Stephanie Kwolek: Kevlaro Bette Naismith Graham: Liquid Paper®o Patsy O. Shernan: Scotchgard™o Margaret E. Knight: paper bagso Becky Schroeder: the Glo-sheetMore often than not, someone becomes exasperated, asking "Why hasn't someone come up with a way -- or a better way -- to ...?" and then provides the answer. That's essentially what happened to several men: Spencer Silver (Post-it Notes), George de Mestral (Teflon), Wilbert and Robert Gore (Goretex) and lso what happened with many of the inventors that Catherine Thimmesh discusses in her book.She concludes, "Suppose you have an invention of your own. It's different, it's new, it's neat. Now what? Obtaining a patent may be an important first step." She then explains how to proceed, noting that obtaining a patent can be an extended and expensive process. "Not all inventions will benefit from having a patent." It makes sense to contact the U.S. Patent Office at its website and check out the resources available, then obtain legal counsel.As with Women in Science, this book challenges young women to "think of everything" that can be improved, or replaced by something else that is better. It also challenges others -- parents, other family members, friends, teachers, coaches, and clergy -- to support their efforts.

Received on time and no damage. Material seems fine too.

I bought this for my niece last year (she was 8 years old). She is an avid reader, maybe slightly beyond her age level. I loved the idea of helping build confidence in her own abilities by educating, and showing concrete examples of women and their own unique challenges and accomplishments. We live far apart, but her mom tells me she's still engaged and continues to read it over and over. Yay!! Great outcome...I wish they had books like this when we were younger!

En un mundo que ha sido "dominado" por hombres, como si fuéramos los únicos que podemos desarrollar inventos, es muy gratificante saber sobre mujeres de diferentes épocas, como inventoras, descubridoras, desarrolladoras de tantos productos que actualmente disfrutamos y no conocemos quién esta detrás de ellos. Escrito para niñas y niños, aún como adulto es muy disfrutable e invita a conocer más de estas magníficas mujeres.