According to historian Gary W. Gallagher, "Books about the Civil War have accumulated at the rate of more than a title a day since fighting erupted at Fort Sumter in April 1861." Now, 150 years later, children's authors and illustrators continue to approach this fascinating era in inventive ways. The past decade has brought readers rich portrayals…

Legend has it that when Archimedes made a discovery related to water displacement, he leapt out of a bath declaring, "Eureka!" Whether true or not, the tale serves as a symbol for the notion that a burst of inspiration can lead to an exciting new discovery. Most books about inventions, however, tell a different story. The path from the germ of an…