How do you teach children about design thinking and human agency while celebrating inventors traditionally omitted from history? Most children's books about invention focus on famous figures, Edison, Bell, the Wright Brothers. I wanted to show that the objects shaping our daily lives (dishwashers, potato chips, windshield wipers) were invented by extraordinary people whose stories deserve telling, and that this same creative agency exists in all of us. The challenge was making design philosophy accessible and inspiring for young readers while highlighting diverse inventors whose contributions have been overlooked.

Approach

Inspired by Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things, I researched everyday objects people take for granted, items so integrated into daily life we forget someone invented them. I discovered many were created by women, people of color, and other historically marginalized inventors whose contributions fundamentally changed how we live but who've been largely erased from mainstream narratives.

I selected five inventions that would resonate with children's lived experience and crafted each story to balance biographical detail with accessible explanation of the invention's impact. I chose a whimsical, Dr. Seuss-inspired writing style, playful rhythm, inventive language, and rhyme, to make the stories engaging and memorable while tackling serious ideas about design and agency. The writing needed to inspire wonder about ordinary things while communicating a bigger message: our environment is shaped by conscious design choices, which means we have agency to alter our realities. Each inventor's story demonstrated problem-solving, creativity, and persistence, showing children that invention isn't magic reserved for geniuses but thoughtful response to real needs. Working with illustrator Kate McMillan, we created a visual-narrative rhythm that made complex ideas digestible while celebrating each inventor's unique perspective, with the whimsical prose style helping transform biographical facts into joyful, accessible storytelling.