Earmuffs for Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs

(Paperback, Reprint)

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Description

Award-winning nonfiction picture book creator Meghan McCarthy tells the story of how Chester Greenwood went from having cold ears to becoming a great inventor in this nonfiction picture book.

Earmuffs keep people warm and cozy on cold days, but who invented the wintertime accessory

In Meghan McCarthys trademark easy-to-follow narrative voice, this fact-filled picture book tells the story of Chester Greenwood, a Maine resident who in 1873, at the age of fifteen, decided he was tired of having cold ears while ice skating. He designed the first pair of ear protectors (a.k.a. earmuffs) out of wire, beaver fur, and cloth. By the time he was nineteen, he patented the design, and within a decade the Chester Greenwood & Company factory was producing and shipping Champion Ear Protectors worldwide! This successful businessman and prolific inventor accumulated over 100 patents during his lifetime.

Reviews

This picture book charts the evolution of the earmuff...Woven into the narrative is a description of patents. Children will also come away with a greater understanding of the nature of inventions....Back matter includes an author's note, a note about patents, and a photo of the annual Chester Greenwood Day parade in Farmington, Maine. Rendered in acrylic paint, the illustrations are appealingly cartoonlike, portraying people with exaggerated round eyes and faces, and complement the concise but upbeat text ([Isaac Kleinert] also made dress guards, which protected ladies' clothing from sweat. Ew!). A solid addition for those seeking titles about inventors and inventions.--School Library Journal *STARRED REVIEW "October 2014"
Having forayed into inventor biography in her delightful Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum (BCCB 6/10), McCarthy turns here not only to invention but its historiography as she explores the development of earmuffs and of the narrative of their invention in her usual droll, compact form. The book begins by chronicling some early ear-protecting duds and patents, then relays the story of Chester Greenwood, who "had gigantic ears" and who is widely thought to be the creator of earmuffs, despite evidence that versions of such ear warmers existed well before he was even born. The text then goes back to question the discrepancies between the two narratives ("What do you think really happened"), dig deeper into patents, address the inventors (like Edison as well as Greenwood) whose contribution was to improve an existing idea rather than be the first to come up with it, and relate the revival and enhancement of Greenwood's legend years after he died. The result takes McCarthy's already zippy and effective exploration into thought-provoking new territory for young readers, cleverly unpicking the story behind the story and making the point that innovation rarely occurs in isolation. McCarthy's familiar pop-eyed human (and animal) figures get added comedy from the rhyming roundness of their earmuffs, and the running gallery of patents and devices that threads through the pages evinces a contagious delight in the Age of Invention. Aside from being an enjoyable outing in its own right, this would be a great opening to kickstart kids' critical thinking by encouraging them to turn the same kind of interrogation onto other histories and biographies. An extensive note about McCarthy's process in creating the book, an explanation of patents, and a bibliography are appended.--Bulletin, *STARRED REVIEW "February 2015"
Meghan McCarthy (Daredevil) explains patents while also making a distinction between invention and improvement in this true story of teenage entrepreneur Chester Greenwood who made improvements to earmuffs.

The author-artist deconstructs the patenting process from start to finish. First, she explains that the word muff began with hand mufflers in the 1700s, and shows the improvements upon them (as a fashion accessory as well as warmer) in the 1800s. Next, she chronicles--alongside spot art illustrations--early earmuffs by William Ware (1858), M. Isidor (1873) and I.B. Kleinert (1875), noting that Kleinert's is still in business today. Chester Greenwood's patent on improvement in ear-mufflers dated March 13, 1877, postdates all of those. But the guy everyone knows as the inventor of earmuffs is Chester Greenwood, McCarthy emphasizes. She goes on to explain patents, using well-known brands such as Coca-Cola, Band-Aids, the Apple computer and more. McCarthy poses some theories about why Greenwood is best known among those who dabbled with earmuffs, and compares him with Thomas Edison, who made improvements to previous inventions, including the lightbulb. She also points to marketing as a factor: in his hometown of Farmington, Maine, residents dedicate a day in December to hailing Chester Greenwood.

With this accessible example of an invention for which a teenager made improvements, McCarthy stresses the importance of science, ever changing and advancing and affecting our daily lives--and that young people's ideas are every bit as valid as those of adults. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness

Discover: The story of inventive teen Chester Greenwood, famous for earmuffs, and an exploration of the patenting process.--Shelf Awareness for Readers, starred review "January 16, 2015"

Author Bio

Meghan McCarthy is the award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children, includingEarmuffs for Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs;Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton;Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum;City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male;Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse; All That Trash; and Action! A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at Meghan-McCarthy.com.