Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

These innovations in transportation should inspire readers to go far. Sure, readers may know about Henry Ford or Katherine Johnson, but have they heard about Raye Montague and her computer-designed guided-missile frigate? What about Bertha Benz and her fateful test-drive of her husband’s invention? Or what inspired Herbert Everest and Harry Jennings to redesign wheelchairs? They will, in this nonfiction tribute to 12 inventors and innovators who changed the ways human travel, influencing nine different forms of travel, from hot air balloons to rocket ships. The text is supported by full-color cartoon illustrations that enhance the text. Additional facts appear on the bottoms of various pages, supplementing the narrative without distracting from the main text. While the stars of the book (all White except for Montague, a Black woman) are clearly the inventors and innovators, educators will also delight in the hefty amount of supplemental backmatter. Source notes guide readers through quotes included, and a selected bibliography offers both print and web-accessible fodder for curious readers hoping to learn more about each inventor. Historical illustrations in the bibliography welcome readers to explore. A timeline that runs across the endpapers helps anchor the subjects and their inventions in history. Will inspire as it educates. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-14) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This curated collection of transportation advancements begins in eighteenth-century France with the invention of the hot-air balloon. Kirkfield steers readers through a chronological tour of eight more innovations such as the steam locomotive, an interstate bus company, and a liquid-fuel-propelled rocket. A chapter about Raye Montague, a Black female engineer who pioneered computer-generated ship design, is notable among the mostly white men featured. The narrative emphasizes inventors' perseverance and ability to learn from mistakes. Copious cartoon illustrations help set the time period, add humor, and break up the narrative. A timeline from 8000 BCE to 2012 CE runs from the front endpapers to the back. A list of related websites, a bibliography, and an index are appended. (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.