In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up

Third in the Great Idea series, this concise introduction to trailblazing American inventor Margaret “Mattie” Knight (1838–1914), reveals a woman committed to living life on her own terms, unafraid to fight for her successes. In clean, straightforward prose, Kulling explains how Knight’s interest in and knack for machines was present even at a young age; after witnessing a colleague’s injury while working in a cotton mill at age 12, Knight devised a safety mechanism that gained widespread use. 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. Ages 5–8. (Oct.)