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The Boo-Boos that Changed the World


The Boo-Boos that Changed the World
By Barry Wittenstein
Illustrated by Chris Hsu
Charlesbridge, 2018. Informational picture book.

I remember reading a book in elementary school with interesting stories of how household items were invented. The Band-Aid was included and I have always remembered the basics of the story. The inventor's wife was constantly getting cuts. He wanted a way for her to bandage the cuts easily and by herself while he was at work. I liked the story. Truly, all Band-Aids have some kind of magic power that takes away pain, because my kids have always been appeased by having a Band-Aid placed on their little scrapes.

Wittenstein has created an informative, funny, true story of Earle Dickson and his wife Josephine. I learned more details to the story I remembered from my childhood. Wittenstein goes through the beginnings of Band-Aids and the stumbling blocks that were overcome. The product was great, but getting the public to learn about Band-aids and their endless uses was tricky. It is crazy to think of a time when Band-Aids were not found in every home medicine cabinet. Readers will be inspired through the invention and marketing process of an everyday household product and the way it came to be.

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