Cool Technology
Jenny Jacoby, illustrated by Jem Venn
Pavilion

The latest addition to the “Cool’ series takes a look at world changing technological inventions through the ages.

As a teacher who has always championed the importance of developing children’s imaginations, I love its opening quote from creator of curious contraptions Keith Newstead: ‘With a little imagination and a lot of patience you can make anything come to life.’ It’s clear from this book, which starts by going right back to stone age times with the invention of stone tools, needles etc, that this statement is spot on.

In addition to presenting bite size chunks of information about a variety of inventions from clockwork, the compass, clothes fastenings to contactless payments, photography to plastics, keyboards of various kinds, X-ray machines, toilets 

to TV and many other things we now take for granted, the author includes concise biographies of key technologists such as Johannes Gutenberg, rocket scientist Annie Easley, Bill Gates and architect Shigeru Ban who is famous for creating buildings including homes from low-tech materials.

Every spread has a clear layout with illustrations by Jem Venn. There are also some projects for readers themselves to try, a look to the future, a contents page and a glossary. And, what better way to finish that with these words from Daniel Bell” ‘Technology, like art is a soaring exercise of the human imagination.’

Primary schools should certainly add this STEM title to their book collections.