The Inventor's Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford

by Suzanne Slade, Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Illustrator)

Overview

Both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford started off as insatiably curious tinkerers. That curiosity led them to become inventors—with very different results. As Edison invented hit after commercial hit, gaining fame and fortune, Henry struggled to make a single invention (an affordable car) work. Witnessing Thomas's glorious career from afar, a frustrated Henry wondered about the secret to his success.

This little-known story is a fresh, kid-friendly way to show how Thomas Edison and Henry Ford grew up to be the most famous inventors in the world—and best friends, too.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607347637
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	09/08/2015
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	333,881
Lexile:	AD590L (what's this?)
File size:	58 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Suzanne Slade loves finding out how things work. A former mechanical engineer, she once worked on Delta IV rockets and automotive brake systems. Now a full-time author, she has written more than one hundred children's books, including Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony & Frederick Douglass and The House That George Built. Suzanne lives near Chicago, where she writes from home on her favorite invention—a laptop computer.

Jennifer Black Reinhardt is fascinated by the stories behind old objects. While researching this book, she studied the Victorian clothing and furnishings in her collection of antique photographs--and fell in love with fancy borders. Jennifer is the illustrator of Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons and The Adventures of a South Pole Pig (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). She could not have illustrated this book without the invention of the lightbulb.

Read an Excerpt

Not so long ago the world was a little slower. A little simpler. And a whole lot quieter.
            No airplanes roaring overhead. No cars rumbling down roads. No phones ringing in pockets.
            Then things began to change—because of two curious boys, Thomas and Henry.
            And one secret.

Editorial Reviews

07/20/2015
“What’s his secret?” That’s the question dogging Henry Ford as he watches Thomas Edison’s phonograph and incandescent bulb take off, while his own attempts to create steam and gas engines sputter. Slade shifts between the developing careers of both men until, while discussing engines with Edison at a dinner in 1896, Ford gets his answer: “Keep at it!” Edison shouts encouragingly. Reinhardt’s mixed-media artwork includes several lighthearted moments (parallel scenes featuring Edison and Ford as children highlight the explosive results of early failed experiments). Extensive endnotes discuss Slade’s and Reinhardt’s processes and several of the inventions mentioned, along with a time line and source notes. It’s a rewarding look at the importance of persistence, as well as the friendship that developed between these prominent inventors. Ages 6–9. Illustrator’s agent: Marietta Zacker, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Reinhardt's mixed-media artwork includes several lighthearted moments (parallel scenes featuring Edison and Ford as children highlight the explosive results of early failed experiments).It's a rewarding look at the importance of persistence, as well as the friendship that developed between these prominent inventors."

From the Publisher

09/01/2015
Gr 3–6—Emphasizing the power of perseverance, this cheery picture book alternates between the lives of two inventors, beginning with Thomas Edison, who was 16 years Henry Ford's senior. Many of Edison's major inventions are touched on, and young Ford is portrayed as curious as to the secret of Edison's success. Ford continues to work on developing engines and designing cars and finally seizes the opportunity to meet Edison in person. The two go over Ford's designs, and Edison urges the younger man to "keep at it!" With that, Ford discovers that "he'd known Thomas's secret all along!"—a realization illustrated with a light bulb over Ford's head. The rest of the story focuses on Ford's work on creating a car for all Americans, which resulted in the Model-T. Fanciful watercolor sketches depict Edison and Ford dreaming, inventing, and working, with a variety of expressions on their faces. The drawings are framed on the page, providing an old-fashioned feel. Inset images provide details and information on their inventions. The front and endpapers are filled with sketches of various light bulbs and gears in muted brown tones. The early lives and activities of these men are covered briefly. The factual text emphasizes how both started as dreamers who took action. Back matter includes a section on Edison and Ford's friendship, more material about the inventions, author and illustrator notes, and extensive source notes with citations for dialogue and other facts. VERDICT A suitable addition for those seeking biographies of inventors.—Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA

School Library Journal

The spirited delivery of Susie Berneis enhances this historically based story—winner of a National Science Teachers Association award. As Henry Ford labored over his automobile invention, he was fascinated by Thomas Edison's successes in this book. Ford finally meets his hero and learns his "secret" as they begin a thirty-year friendship. Berneis ably portrays both men, including their years as inquisitive and sometimes mischievous children. Realistic sound effects, including pulsating electricity and vintage car sounds, add to the nostalgic atmosphere. Berneis's enthusiastic delivery, lively tone, and childlike questioning make for a fun listen. The book also offers listeners facts about Edison's electric pen and why the Tin Lizzie became an essential family member. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2016 - AudioFile

2015-06-16
What would a renowned, established inventor have to say to a hopeful young tinkerer?Slade precedes her description of a historical meeting with interwoven accounts: one of Thomas, a disaster-prone experimenter who parlays an early interest in gadgets and electricity into a pen that produces multiple copies, a phonograph, and hundreds of other popular innovations; the other of Henry, born 16 years later, whose yen to produce a practical, inexpensive motor car encounters obstacle after frustrating obstacle. At last, hoping for insight into Edison's success, Henry buttonholes the great inventor at an 1896 dinner. The two instantly fall into a technical discussion, climaxed by the excited Edison's "Keep at it!" And, of course, Ford goes on to craft his Models A through T, the "Tin Lizzy." Reinhardt's watercolor scenes, often bordered with toothed gears or antique-looking curlicues, feature two dapper but slightly rumpled figures thinking, tinkering, and showing off the iconic products of their determined efforts. Along with noting specific design changes and flaws in selected early Fords, the author and illustrator close with fuller notes on major Edison-ian inventions, the development of the Model T, and particularly the lifelong friendship that the encounter kindled between these two giants of industrial technology.Not exactly eloquent advice, perhaps, but on target. (timeline, source notes, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews