Philo Farnsworth

Don't you love Kathleen Krull (author of Wilma Unlimited)?  You can see her work at: http://www.kathleenkrull.com.  There's something about her books that always makes me stop and look.  
     She has amazing ability to write creative and thoughtful biographical text.  The Boy Who Invented TV:  The Story of Philo Farnsworth is another winner!
     While plowing the potato fields, Philo dreams of making pictures "fly through the air."  Always inquisitive and interested in invention, Philo had a mentor in his father who nurtured his passions for anything mechanical.  And this book tells his story.
     As a young boy, he read the Sears catalog with longing and wonder... despite the fact that the only thing he ever got out of the catalog was a violin.  Philo was fascinated with electricity and the prospects of "television."  And, while plowing the fields he dreamed,
(and dreamed big) about the possibilities.  He was a genius inventor and this story details the life of Philo, who was almost forgotten as the man who invented "one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century."  In the book we learn the details about why he was not credited with the invention.
     I love the illustrations in this book.  They fit the text with authenticity and a sense of the eclectic.  I especially love the variety of televisions represented.  
     I'm adding this one to my collection of "stamina and endurance" books!  I'll print and fold up these little tidbits in the front of the book.  I think his is a fascinating story (Philco... get the connection?):  http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=farnsworthp and http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/farnsworth.html