Description
Emmie, a small mouse with big ideas, lives in an attic with discarded things she turns into new inventions. Emmie is very happy until she discovers a cat has arrived in the attic. Emmie immediately uses her creativity to create a mechanical cat that springs at this new intruder, but the cat remains. Emmie next designs a mechanical creature that swoops down on the cat. Still, the cat remains. Finally, Emmie creates an elephant-like creature that splashes water on the cat. Just as she succeeds in her goal, Emmie realizes that the soggy, scared kitty isn’t so scary. Emmie apologizes and makes one more design: a mechanical grooming device to aid the wet cat. Soon, Emmie and the cat are designing and living together happily.
For so many reasons, this is a wonderful picture book. First, it emphasized engineering problem-solving, with a female main character to boot. It brings awareness to the idea that preconceived notions may be wrong, while demonstrating the value of apologizing. Finally, children will enjoy poring over the detailed illustrations, which include engineering notes. In sum, Majorie Crosby-Fairall has written a genuinely delightful book.
