This is a favorite from my childhood. My brother and I pored over its pages in search of games to play, things to build, art, or scary stories. Each section links the activities to American history or how this is a part of American life. A great resource for home schoolers.

This book is a great resource for the "all american" crafts. The little history that the book gives on each craft is a great learning tool for childen of all ages. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with children from the sunday school teacher to the scout leader.

Kids America has served as a great resource in my classroom for almost twenty years. Kid curious topics like handwriting anaylsis, candle making, crafts of all sorts and even how to make cheese are among hundreds of just fun things to do. I highly recommend it

I read this book a couple of years ago (when I was much younger) and I loved it! It had tons of activities and crafts for a kid my age then (I was around 12 yrs old). The text was simple and easy to understand. The images that accompanied the text also made the crafts much easier to build. I read it again a couple of days ago and tomorrow, I shall build (again) the spider web game.

I remember spending hours with this book-creating the toys and games it described. Wonderfully creative and down to earth in a time of too much plastic and passive activity. Great suggestions for making new toys and games out of found objects and household "throw-aways". This review is based on the original issue. Great for those of us who watched Zoom as kids.

This book is great for those children who are interested in inventions or who are fasinated by interesting information. There are inventions that I have not seen covered in other books, as well as more common items. The pictures are great to look at, and the fantasty invention aspect allows kids to think about what invention they would like to create.

I got this book in March of 1992 from my dad. I was a 9-year-old soprano then, and I wrote about it for a fourth-grade book report. I am now a 20-year-old bass and college senior writing this review. I can honestly say that I still love reading this book, and not just to indulge my nostalgic or childlike moods. There is a very wide variety of materials -- stories, essays, anecdotes, photographs, etc. -- in here, so there's a good chance most kids will find at least several things they find interesting. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout, with tons of photographs and illustrations. Perhaps best of all, Caney consciously avoids any of the cloying cutesiness too often found in similar books: The Invention Book may not be the most glamorous book in the store, but it's still well worth every cent.

The first half of the book contains advice on how to develop, patent, and market inventions, along with a couple of cool projects to try. That may sound geeky, but trust me -- it's well-written in an unpatronizing, yet clear, style. Even if you do not really want to invent something, Caney offers a museum-like look into the process of invention. This includes many informational boxes, containing everything from the history of the robot to basic marketing tips.

The second half of the book consists of "35 Great American Invention Stories," covering such inventions as basketball, earmuffs, Life Savers, and the Xerox machine. Each story is easy to follow and written in the same clear, unpatronizing style of the first half of the book. Caney also includes "Fantasy Inventor's Notebook" and "Fantasy Inventions" with each story, for inspiration. Some are humorous, some sci-fi-ish, some serious.

As I have written, the book's contents are divided in fairly small chapters and information boxes, and there are hundreds of photographs and illustrations. The effect is rather like that of a museum: the reader can pick and choose which parts to look over, which to skim over, which to examine in depth...

If you know of any child or young adolescent who might even remotely enjoy this stuff, the Invention Book will make a perfect gift.

Very good book that teaches kids and parents how to make toys that are fun and creative. From the tire swing to the home made barrometer instructions are easy and educational. My kids didn't stop when the book was totally consumed. They began making their own toys and performing their own experiments.