The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story of an Accidental Invention (Really!)

This lighthearted story about the origins of the Band-Aid suggests that necessity truly is the mother of invention. In 1920s New Jersey, Earle Dickson is concerned for his wife, Josephine: “Ouch! When she sliced and diced an onion, she sometimes sliced her finger, too.” An employee at Johnson & Johnson, Dickson set out to design a protective bandage for her injuries. Hsu, a background artist for the animated TV comedy Archer, makes his picture book debut with friendly cartoons rendered in warm earth tones. After Dickson makes a Band-Aid prototype, Johnson & Johnson distributes the product to klutzes worldwide. Wittenstein, who imagines the details of the exchanges between Josephine and Earle, gracefully suggests to readers that even items as enduring as the Band-Aid started out as one individual’s creative solution to a common problem. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)