Scott & Witty Wikky: A Young Inventor's Quest

[Book Review]

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We received this book “Scott & Witty Wikky: A Young Inventor’s Quest” this month with great delight. It is a thin book, 136 pages, but full of gems. I passed the book to AJ to read first without much expectation. It turned out that he loved the book very much. I urged him to write a review so you’ll get two perspectives here - one from me, one from him. Here you go!

What AJ says:

The story is about a boy named Scott. He is ten years old. He has an invisible friend, Witty Wikky, who follows Scott everywhere, even to his school. He is usually invisible to everyone, except Scott. If Wikky wants to be your friend, he will be visible to you. He knows everything. He is like an invisible dictionary or encyclopaedia who appears when there is something to be explained.

Because of that, throughout the book, there are many explanations and definitions, and if you read the book, you can expand your vocabulary, grammar, and general knowledge.

One particular section of the book that that I like very much is the problem solving invention. One day, Scott's teacher gave the class an assignment: "Solving Real-Life Problems with Inventions". Scott came up with four inventions. Scott's teacher also wanted them to build a prototype and design a poster on this invention. The teacher highlighted that if their inventions are up to scratch, they can consider applying for the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award.

Scott submitted the Reversible Window that could allow house owners to clean exterior window panes with ease. His project got shortlisted and what's more, he won! I am so happy for Scott because I think that was an excellent invention as well! This story inspires me to think of some problem solving inventions too! Maybe I will think about it this school holiday.

  

This is really an interesting book and I have learnt quite a number of new words and idioms in this book. I would recommend it to higher primary students.

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What Jenn says:

I like the flow of the story, how difficult words and concepts were introduced and explained in a creative and humorous manner. The main character is Scott, the book started by introducing his school friend, Ang Ming Pok (A.M.P). Ming Pok has the habit of malingering and procrastinating. These two big words were aptly explained and illustrated over 14 pages. The author uses A.M.P (initials of Ang Ming Pok) creatively to represent Always Malingering & Procrastinating (A.M.P). What a cool way to remember bombastic words!

In the latter part of the book, Scott’s cousin, Skylar, was introduced. With her appearance, came more bombastic words and terms tactically inserted into the storyline. Children who read the book get to learn these words and terms through the story.

The highlight of the book is of course Scott’s invention of the Reversible Window. My family was using Reversible Window in our home without knowing it was an invention of a young boy! When this was mentioned, I could fully associate with the functionality of this invention. It was indeed a clever design.

The book also explained about the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’Award and the Nobel Prize at length, thus enabling children who read it not only comprehend the Awards, but also the famous award winners.

It is one very educational and informative book for children in upper primary to read. It is jam-packed with life lessons, vocabulary expansion and general knowledge. If you want a break from the usual novel reading, this could be a good pick.

This book is available online. You could purchase it at S$13 each via the link below. Please use promo code: WS986730 to enjoy free delivery in Singapore.

To Order: http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9867

Scott & Witty Wikky: A Young Inventor's Quest

Author: Perry Gee

Illustrator: Sparky Animation

ISBN: 978-981-4733-06-9 

More about Scott & Witty Wikky: http://www.wittywikky.com/