Marvelous Mattie How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor [Hardcover]

With her sketchbook labeledMy Inventionsand her father's toolbox, Mattie could make almost anything  toys, sleds, and a foot warmer. When she was just twelve years old, Mattie designed a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off textile looms and injuring workers. As an adult, Mattie invented the machine that makes the square-bottom paper bags we still use today. However, in court, a man claimed the invention was his, stating that she could not possibly understand the mechanical complexities. Marvelous Mattie proved him wrong, and over the course of her life earned the title of the Lady Edison.

With charming pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, this introduction to one of the most prolific female inventors will leave readers inspired.

Marvelous Mattieis a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Engagingly presented. The New York Times Book Review

Caldecott Medalist McCully's lucid narrative and crisp period illustrations illuminate the early life of an impressive visionary. Starred, Publishers Weekly

Told in a style that is not only easy to understand, but that is also a good read-aloud. . . .will inspire interest in women and children as inventors. School Library Journal

Not only is Mattie Knight's life marvelously inventive, but her story is as well. Starred, The Horn Book

It's a beautiful looking book. Kirkus Reviews

McCully draws children into Knight's life by emphasizing. . . her resolute stance against the restrictive gender roles of her time. Watercolor scenes invoke the drama. Booklist

Successfully conveys the drama of Knight's life and her focused intensity. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Invites kids to think about the history of womenandscientific innovation. Washington Post Book World

Girls are sure to love 'Marvelous Mattie' for its real-liflÃÂ