The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan

August 26, 2019
DiCicco’s well-researched debut picture book highlights the life of boundary-breaking African-American inventor Garrett Morgan. The son of Kentucky sharecroppers, Morgan heads north at 14, getting work as a handyman, opening a sewing machine repair shop—and, alongside his wife, “manufacturing affordable clothing for Cleveland’s growing black middle class”—inventing a traffic signal, and garnering a patent for the Safety Hood, a helmet that was developed into gas masks before WWI. Focusing primarily on the Safety Hood and a daring rescue that it facilitated, this biography recalls Morgan’s experience with fires as inspiration for the invention. Glenn’s digital illustrations, saturated in chalky sepias and browns, exude a diaphanous, smoky ambiance. An extensive timeline and bibliography wrap up this riveting tale of a man who fought against stacked odds to accomplish what he put his mind to. Ages 7–11.

September 1, 2019
An accessible first look at a celebrated inventor in the black community. Garrett Morgan has been credited with the invention of the traffic light but is often overlooked in favor of other famous black innovators, such as George Washington Carver and Charles R. Drew. Debut picture-book author DiCicco gives young readers a solid overview of Garrett Morgan's wide-ranging versatility. The account of his humble beginnings as part of a Kentucky sharecropping family highlights how his circumstances led him to solve problems creatively. When he left for the North, he advanced his education with private tutoring. DiCicco uses affirmative vocabulary like "unstoppable" and "brave" to describe his resilience and determination in life--an attitude that led to his decision to marry a white woman before interracial marriages were federally legal. The bulk of the book is devoted to his invention of a piece of safety apparatus that ensured a supply of fresh air to firefighters before turning to the invention of the traffic light. The racism that he encountered along the way is not soft-pedaled. A detailed timeline and bibliography steer readers to resources that will enable them to further explore his life. Glenn supplies earth-toned paintings that give a sense of the period and evoke mid-20th-century Disney cartoons. A stirring tribute to black excellence. (Picture book/biography. 7-11)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2019
Grades 1-4 Garrett Morgan's story of invention, ingenuity, and steadfast determination is captured in this episodic biography of his life. Writing in a third-person format, the author traces a path to Garrett's invention of a firefighter's safety hood, which later evolved into the gas mask. This invention saved many lives, and it is one of many that Garrett created to change the lives of people worldwide. DiCicco portrays Morgan as an intelligent, driven young man with a talent for solving problems through design. Glenn's illustrations depict Garrett as a statuesque figure, and her artistic style and use of color offer a realistic view of America in the early 1900s. This biography will find plenty of use in intermediate grades with units on Black history, inventors, segregation, the great migration, or early American history. Media specialists, teachers, and librarians will find this book to be a good addition to their collections and STEM offerings. An appended time line features important events in Morgan's life and many of his inventions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
The son of sharecroppers, Garrett Morgan (1877-1963) worked his way up from handyman to janitor to machinist to inventor/entrepreneur (inventions included a life-saving safety hood for firefighters and soldiers, and a traffic signal system). The book acknowledges racial discrimination he faced but focuses mainly on Morgan's intelligence, accomplishments, determination, and courage; digital illustrations in mostly sepia tones emphasize time period and setting. Timeline. Bib.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2019

Gr 2-4-The son of freed slaves, Garrett Morgan grew up on a sharecropper's farm, an environment in which necessity inspired ingenuity, due to the lack of funds and the constant need for better working tools and equipment. At 14, after a childhood spent creating and fixing, Morgan left the segregated South in search of greater opportunities. By 1901, he had developed and sold the rights to his first invention, a sewing machine belt tightener. After a horrific fire in his adopted hometown of Cleveland, Morgan created the Safety Hood, a heat-resistant canvas helmet with two long tubes attached to help rescuers breathe safely and avoid toxic fumes. Despite a racist public's reluctance to accept a black man's invention, the Safety Hood was widely adopted and was adapted to create gas masks for use in World War I. Morgan spent the rest of his life innovating, creating, and living by his motto: "If a man puts something to block your way, the first time you go around it, the second time you go over it, and the third time you go through it." VERDICT Young readers will relate to this straightforward message of perseverance and encouragement and will warm to Glenn's attractive sepia-tinted pencil and watercolor illustrations.-Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood Public Library, MA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.