Glasses

The Romans made the first important discovery about vision. They found that you could see better by looking through a bowl of water, which made what you were looking at bigger. An English monk used glass to make a shaped magnifying device. Over time, these glass lenses got better, but the biggest problem was how to keep them on your head. Designs went from balancing the glasses on your nose to tying them with a ribbon, holding them with a handle, and then finally using wire arms that hook behind the ears.

Little Inventions by Raphaël Fejtö is a series of kid-sized books about objects that children encounter every day with little thought of how, where and when they were invented. In fact, the beginnings of these common objects are fascinating and their true stories are told here in amusing anecdotes and charming illustrations. Each book closes with a memory game, making them useful for early reader groups.

Raphael Fejto wrote his first book at school at 11 years old, and by 12 he had become a child actor. He went on to make films, including as co-star in Louis Malle's "Au revoir, les enfants" in 1987. He lives in Paris, where he has written and illustrated over 30 children's books.