Have You Thanked an Inventor Today?

by Patrice McLaurin, Dian Wang (Illustrator), Darren McLaurin (Contribution by)

Overview

Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? is a journey into the often forgotten contributions of African-American inventors, that contributed to the American landscape. It chronicles the school day of a little boy, highlighting different inventions that he uses throughout the day, all of which were invented by African-Americans.  The book comes complete with brief biographies about each inventor as well as fun activities to promote and encourage reading comprehension.  "Have You Thanked an Inventor Today?" was selected by Microsoft as a book that inspires STEM and also received a 5 Star Rating from Reader's Favorite!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997315219
Publisher:	Khemrah Publishing
Publication date:	05/20/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	996,013
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	5 - 12 Years

About the Author

Patrice McLaurin is an author, image activist and public speaker. She enjoys a good game of Scrabble and loves to read an exciting thriller! She has been actively working to empower young people for the past two decades. "Have You Thanked an Inventor Today?" is an Amazon Best Seller and was acclaimed by Microsoft as a book that informs and inspires STEM. It received a 5 Star Rating Medal from Reader's Favorite and has been greatly received by educators, parents and children alike. Patrice McLaurin is a native of Bessemer, AL and a proud graduate of Alabama A&M University. She currently resides in Dacula, GA with her husband and two children.

Editorial Reviews

10/02/2017
McLaurin encourages children to appreciate everyday inventions that make their lives easier while acknowledging the contributions of African-American inventors. It’s a worthy goal, but the project is let down by oversimplifications or mischaracterizations of what these men and women accomplished. Addressing readers directly, McLaurin uses the frame of a child’s day to highlight recognizable inventions: “And when you’re on your way to school... you have to thank Garrett Morgan for the traffic light, otherwise none of our streets would be safe to cross!” Wang’s chipper digital illustrations show a brown-skinned boy making his way through the community, and small portraits of the inventors appear throughout. But some of the credited inventions are based in legend rather than fact (peanut butter for George Washington Carver, potato chips for George Crum), and while Robert Fleming and Sarah Boone may hold patents for versions of the guitar and ironing board, these were not first of their kind; other claims are similarly iffy. Activities and additional biographical details appear at the end, but McLaurin doesn’t include source notes, forcing readers to take the book’s questionable assertions at face value. Ages 5–12. (BookLife)

Publishers Weekly

Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? by Patrice McLaurin is an exciting, informative and must-have book for children, especially of African-American descent. Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? is a beautifully illustrated children’s book about inventions that we use every day. Children will learn that some things that we may take for granted - from the components in a cell phone, street lights, peanut butter, hair brush, lunch box, guitar, potato chips, and the ironing board to the Super Soaker water gun - were created by African-American men and women. Also African-American inventors may not have invented the following things initially, but they were responsible for improving on the operations of it: refrigerator, mop and lock. Children will not only be engaged in learning about these inventors in Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? but Patrice McLaurin has also provided a few games and exercises to help your child not only to dream, but create a platform for discovering their own invention.



Unfortunately, there is not a lot in our history books about the hundreds, if not thousands, of contributions that minorities and particularly African-Americans have given to this world. I was honored to read such a well designed, concise and power-packed book. I enjoyed how Patrice McLaurin cleverly told the story of the African-American contribution in Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? through a little boy just starting his day. Patrice McLaurin was able to not only provide children with knowledge, but also nuggets of history through the biographies of the inventors. These inventors not only had a dream; they dared to make their dream become a reality. There are so many wonders to be seen throughout the day that were made possible because of an inventor. Ask yourself, without these inventions how would the world be for you?

From the Publisher