In The Bag!: Margaret Knight Wraps It Up

Description

Monica Kulling introduces the fascinating Margaret Knight in the next instalment of the award-winning Great Ideas series. Known as Mattie, she was different from most American girls living in 1850. She loved to make things with wood and made the best kites and sleds in town. Margaret knight devoted her life to inventing and is best known for the clever, practical paper bag. When she died in 1914, she had 90 inventions to her name and over 20 patents, astounding accomplishments for a woman of her day. This easy-to-read biography brings an inspiring woman into the spotlight.

Monica Kulling was born in Vancouver, BC and received a BA in creative writing from the University of Victoria. She has published over 30 books for children, including picture books, adaptations of classic novels, movie tie-ins, and biographies. Known for introducing biography to young children, Monica has written about, among others, Harriet Tubman, Houdini, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Amelia Earhart. Monica's first book for Tundra, It's A Snap! George Eastman's First Photograph, was voted an OLA 2009 "Best Bets" selection. It is nominated for a 2011 Silver Birch Award. Monica Kulling lives in Toronto. Tundra's David Parkins is the award-winning illustrator of over fifty children's books. He began his career at Dyfed College of Art in Wales, studying wildlife illustration. He then went to Lincoln College of Art for three years, and has been a freelance illustrator since his graduation in 1979. He spent several years at the beginning of his career producing illustrations for educational publishers, and has earned most of his keep drawing for the British cartoon, The Beano. David Parkins lives near Lansdowne, Ontario.

Praise for In the Bag! "...In clean, straightforward prose, Kulling explains how Knight's interest in and knack for machines was present even at a young age.... Paired with Parkins's detailed and handsome pen-and-ink illustrations, the book focuses on Knight's invention of a paper bag-manufacturing machine and her legal fight to protect her creation after her idea was stolen." - Publishers Weekly "...a delightful picture book biography of a little known inspiring woman.... I love stories about smart and determined young women and Kulling's lively text tells an inspiring story about this determined woman who 'never gave up without a fight.' David Parkins' charming illustrations are filled with carefully drawn period details and engaging humor.... Don't miss this really excellent book that opens the door to a multitude of curricular uses." - Bookends, a Booklist Blog "This is the wonderful story of an early female inventor. Margaret Knight began inventing at the age of 12, when she was working in a cotton mill and created a device that made looms safer. But her most famous invention is one we're all familiar with - she created a machine that made flat-bottomed paper bags." - Ten Great Science Books for Kids, Smithsonia.com