Inventions to Count On: A Celebration of Black Inventors

Dana Marie Miroballi is a speech-language pathologist and former teacher. She grew up in Germany, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, and now lives in Chicago with her family. Miroballi began writing at an early age and is the author of If My Hair Had a Voice. Working in schools and becoming a parent inspired her to create books that celebrate cultural diversity and educate children about overlooked people and events in Black history. One of her favorite inventions is Alfred L. Cralle’s ice cream scooper because she enjoys hot fudge sundaes all year round. Sawyer Cloud is a self-taught artist from the island of Madagascar. She has illustrated more than 35 children’s books and is constantly looking for new stories to tell. Her long list of goals includes traveling around the world and writing her own books for children. Passionate and curious by nature, Cloud believes in the power of big dreams and loves discovering new things in life, such as the inventions in this book! One of her favorites is Sarah Boone’s improved ironing board because it makes her think about her mom, who never misses an ironing session every afternoon just before tea time.

"Each of the first 10 spreads features a rhyming couplet that pays homage to a single invention. With brief text and full-bleed illustrations of a joyful Black family in a variety of familiar scenes, this section will work well for story hours with toddlers and young preschoolers."