Which Came First?

Students and teachers will be lining up to check out this series, which incorporates a guessing game with lessons of history, economics, science and sociology. Each title consists of 10 paired inventions covering Household Inventions, Communication Inventions, Clothing Creations, Sporting Events, Transportation Inventions, Food Creations, and invites the reader to guess which of the pair came first. For example, in the book on communications inventions, the authors ask whether the radio or the telephone came first; in the clothing book, the question is: Did the sneakers come before the T-shirt? Each book also has a “scorecard” for the reader to keep track of the number of correct guesses along with some bonus questions on events related to the theme. There is also a page of additional bulleted facts, a timeline, and a glossary. One intriguing feature of this series is a “what’s next” page projecting future (but not unrealistic) inventions fitting the theme for that particular title. Authors also include a bibliography and a reader’s advisory in the form of additional books and recommended Web sites. As you might guess, there is much opportunity for inserting fascinating and little-known facts into this format. Each title is filled with bright kid-centered photos that feature events through 2005. Recommended.