Picture biography, 32 pages. Knight designed her first massed produced invention at the age of 12, a safety shuttle cover for looms used in Manchester, in response to a friend's serious injury from a flying shuttle. And the folded brown paper bags we use today? Knight designed and patented the machine which creates these bags. Published in 2004 by Douglas & McIntyre, Ltd.
Steadfast Pursuit
Knight remarked for an 1872 interview that "as a child, I never cared for things that girls usually do." She was ingenuous and dogged -- she could think up an idea and visualize how to execute it. From the time she designed a kite and sleds for her brothers to the court fight to prove she designed the paper bag machine, Knight battled the belief that women's minds were inadequate for inventing.
Steadfast pursuit of your interests and dreams is not only satisfying for yourself, but can change the world. Knight is an excellent heroine for kiddos who have been told they can't accomplish their goals because of their gender, race or abilities. Girl Inventor
Two recent Knight biographies are available for young readers:
And you can view a the patent model of her paper bag machine at the Smithsonian! Comments are closed.
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