inventors

Wendell’s Workshop

| Tasha

Wendell’s Workshop by Chris Riddell

Wendell was very busy inventing things, so he didn’t have time to clean up his workshop.  When it finally became too untidy to bear, Wendell invented a robot named Clunk to help him.  Clunk did the housework, but in such a way that it made an even larger mess.  So Wendell threw him down the rubbish chute.  Wendell created a second robot to help clean.  This robot looked a lot like him, so he called him Wendelbot.  Wendelbot was great at cleaning, but too great.  Finally Wendel himself was the only untidy thing left, until Wendelbot threw him down the chute.  Wendel found Clunk there and they devised a plan to stop Wendelbot in his quest to tidy the world.

Riddell has created a robot picture book that has a great story yet resists being too wordy or complex for young children.  The book reads aloud very well, filled with great sound effects, wonderful big booms, and plenty of clutter.  It is a story that all children will relate to happily whether they love robots or not.  Riddell also laces his story with plenty of humor, which is carried directly into the illustrations.  Wendel himself is very cute and fuzzy, a wonderful contrast to the hard surfaces of the robots.  The detail of the illustrations is delightful, from the rolling screws to the intriguing depths of the rubbish pile. 

This is a picture book with lots to love plus robots!  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

You can also check out a video of the book being read aloud on YouTube.  It’s a bit blurry, but still offers great glimpses of the illustrations:

Day-Glo Brothers

| Tasha

The Day-Glo Brothers: the true story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s bright ideas and brand-new colors by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tony Persiani

I am always on the look-out for books that offer a great story combined with nonfiction.  This book definitely has that.  Even better, it offers a tangible example of invention that children can relate to and understand.  Joe and Bob were not similar brothers.  Bob enjoyed working and planning while Joe preferred magic tricks and problem-solving.  The two made the perfect inventing pair.  After Bob suffered an accident and was limited to living in the family’s basement, Joe joined him there to practice using fluorescence in his magic tricks.  The two worked together and created glow-in-the-dark paints.  After years of success, they found that with some tweaking they could create paints that glowed even in broad daylight – day-glo colors. 

The book is written in a style that is inviting and intelligent.  It offers lots of background information on the brothers, understanding that part of the fascination is with the inventors themselves along with their flashy colors.  The illustrations work to great effect with their vintage advertising style and effective use of bright colors. 

A great biographical nonfiction picture book about an accessible subject, this book will be snatched off of shelves for the cover alone.  Add it to bibliographies about inventors and children will be thrilled to have such a youthful title to use for reports.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Abby the Librarian with author features on Cynsations and 7 Imp.  You can also visit Chris Barton’s own blog.