Little Inventions

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 gl

The pen began as a sharpened reed used by Ancient Egyptians, but the reed point dulled quickly. It was replaced by a feather quill, then a steel-nibbed quill, a fountain pen, and finally the disposabl

Everyone knows that pizza came from Italy but they may not know that tomatoes came from the Americas. The Europeans thought tomatoes were poisonous until a brave Neapolitan chef named Raffaele smeared

In 1828, a young French cook learned how to make the chef's specialty, round sliced potatoes fried in grease until crispy. He thought they were so good, he decided to sell them on the street. They wer

The Romans had public toilets that removed human waste to the river but 1,000 years later people went back to throwing their waste into the street! The Queen of England was desperate to get rid of the

The Greeks and Romans were the first to use a fork, but it was shaped like a claw and used in the kitchen for cooking, not for eating, which was done with their fingers. Later on, the Italians changed the claw to a spear-like fork with two prongs to pick up food, but they still used their fingers to eat. Over time the fork found its way to the tables of King Henri III and King Louis XIV, mostly as an ornament. By the end of the 17th century the fork looked like it does today and it was being used to eat. Now centuries later we have all kinds of forks for fish, cheese, salad, dessert. 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.

Ten Halloween-related topics—including costumes, candy and black cats—are presented in a rhyming riddle format with illustrated clues and answers.

Presents ten riddles about objects and locations commonly associated with Canada, including hockey, mounties, and Toronto's CN Tower.