The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton

Book Jacket

Why did you pick up this book?  Did it have something to do with the eye-popping colors on the cover?

You can thank Bob and Joe Switzer for those shocking greens, blazing oranges, and screaming yellows.  The brothers invented a whole new kind of color--one that glowed with an extra-special intensity.  It took them years of experimenting, but their efforts paid off brilliantly.  Day-Glo colors helped win a war, save people's lives, and brighten everyday life--including this book!

Review

It is super weird for me to think of people creating colors.  I had never really thought about the fact that day-glo colors are found nowhere in nature, and must therefore have been invented by someone.  Now I know that those obnoxious colors that hurt your eyes but do a great job drawing attention to themselves were made by the Switzer brothers.

This book is a biography-lite.  The story of Bob and Joe begins in their childhood, follows them as they pursue different dreams, then come together to create something that subtly changed the world. 

The illustrations are fun, and the random additions of day-glo colors to the pages makes the book's point every time--you cannot look away.  The story is both entertaining, informational, and inspiring.  Life might take you on a path you never expected, but some really great things might come from your detour! 

Four out of five rescue flags.

Release Date:  July 2009
Reading Level: Grade 2+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: BLUESTEM

That Cat Can't Stay by Thad Krasnesky

Book Jacket

Cats.  You either love 'em or hate 'em.  But what happens when Mom loves cats and Dad doesn't?

To the delight of the cat-loving children, Mom keeps adopting stray cats.  Poor Dad's objections get more and more absurd:

Mom found a calico.
Dad said, "That thing has got to go.
There's no use begging.  Don't say please.
I don't like cats.  They scratch my knees.
They carry fleas.  They make me sneeze.
They're always getting stuck in trees.
I want it gone.  Vamoose!  Away!
I'm telling you, that cat can't stay."

But clever Mom convinces Dad to let each cat stay for a short time.  Once they're comfy in the house, they never leave!  One stray, then two, then three move in, and Dad is at his wit's end.  When stray cat number five arrives, Dad finally takes a surprising stand.

A delightful romp for dog-lovers, cat-lovers, and even cat-haters.

Review

I'm definitely a fan of cats, and I'm also a fan of reverse psychology.  A strange combination to have in a children's book, but there you go.  That Cat Can't Stay is a great story of families, compromises, and flowy funny rhymes.

I liked the Mom, who points out what little chance these poor cats will have in the outside world.  I liked the Dad, who complained and railed against them, but was ultimately too compassionate to throw the cats out.  I liked the kids, who gleefully watched their house fill up with cats.  I liked the cats themselves, who were drawn with over-the-top distress when found and then over-the-top comfort when made part of the family.  And I liked the ending, which made everyone in the family happy.

The pictures are great.  The story is funny.  And it made me want to adopt a whole bunch of strays.

Four out of five cats in trees.

Release Date:  April 2010
Reading Level: Grade K+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: MONARCH

LEGO Club

I have been very bad at keeping up with LEGO blog posts.  It is somehow too much work to plug in my camera, move pictures from one file to another, and then upload them here?  To make up for my laziness, I am now posting a MEGALEGO post.  There are pictures from our April LEGO clubs, as well as our first club in May.  Lots and lots of pictures below the cut!

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy

Book Jacket

Gum has been around for centuries.  The ancient Greeks chewed sap from mastic trees.  The American Indians chewed spruce resin.  Men in top hats and women in puffy dresses chewed gum to cure things like stomachaches.  Gum wasn't that exciting.  But what if gum chewers could blow bubbles while chewing it?

In the late 1920s a factory in Philadelphia was working on a top secret project.  Month after month the workers experimented with different ingredients and formulas.  And month after month all they had to show for their hard work was a big sticky mess.  Would there be no bubble gum?  Sometimes the best inventions come from the most unexpected places...

Review

Confession here:  I am really awful at blowing bubbles in gum.  I used to be so jealous of kids who could blow bubbles as big as their heads, or who could blow a bubble, close it off, and blow another into a chain!  Bubble gum is a tumultuous topic for me (not really), so learning about its history was pretty fascinating!

I love stories of accidental inventions.  I love stories of people inventing something far outside their field of expertise.  I love stories that explain how something we take for granted (like the pink color of bubble gum) was really just a case of right time-right place.  Life and progress is a strange meandering journey, and discovering a little bit of how things are made is almost always interesting. 

Also, the simple sentences used make for great out-of-context hilarity!  "He knew lots about math but not much about gum."  That is the saddest random fact to assign to someone.  I think I might use it on acquaintances from now on.

Next time your kid asks for a piece of gum, have him or her read this first! 

Four out of five Dubble Bubble gums.

Release Date: May 2010
Reading Level: Grade K+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: MONARCH

The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino

Book Jacket

How do snow crystals form?

What shapes can they take?

Are no two snow crystals alike?

These questions and more are answered inside this exploration of the science of snow, featuring photos of real snow crystals in all their beautiful diversity.  Perfect for reading on winter days, this book by a nature photographer and a snow scientist will inspire wonder and curiosity about the marvels of snow.  And for those inspired to collect and study their own snow crystals, there are snow-crystal-catching instructions in the back.

Review

I love snow!  When I was little, my "if I could change the way the world works" wish was for it to snow in the summertime.  After reading The Story of Snow, I am scientifically equipped to explain to my younger self that my dream is simply impossible.  Which is sad, but regardless of the temperature when it falls, snow is awesome!

This book does a great job of teaching simple lessons (the conditions under which snow is formed, the different types of snow) in an easy to grasp way.  Real pictures, with life-size comparisons, litter every page, making the whole lesson beautiful as well.

I learned a lot from this short book, and I imagine any kid who grows up playing in snow will find it fascinating.  If only I hadn't read it on the cusp of summer.  Now I have to wait several long months to fully appreciate my new knowledge.

Four out of five debris made into snow crystals.

Release Date: October 2009
Reading Level: Grade K+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: BLUESTEM

Stickman Odyssey: An Epic Doodle by Christopher Ford

Book Jacket

Greek Epic the way it was meant to be read...in stickman form!

Review

This is...pretty much exactly what it says on the tin!  The story of Odysseus as a graphic novel of stickmen.  And it's awesome!  I love Greek mythology, and I especially love it when reinterpreted in different contexts.  Hilarious cartoons is a great new way to explore ancient myths.

What surprised me most was how expressive Ford manages to make his stick figures.  They are simply drawn, but they easily convey emotions and moods.  I never thought I would feel bad about the artistic quality of my stick figures, but, well.  It has happened.

The characters are also awesome.  Zozimos is hopelessly self-centered.  Alexa is the best ever--I loved how Zozimos kept talking about how he loved her for her beauty, and she would respond peevishly, "Yeah, but how about when I saved your life?  Do you love me for that?"  But the moral of this story is that Zozimos doesn't realize how much he depends on others, and the his fate is bound up in whether or not he can learn to ask for help!
Yup.  A hilarious cartoon Greek myth teaches a lesson, too.  This book is perfect for kids, and for anyone with a sense of humor, really.

Five out of five doomed prophecies.

Release Date:  August 2011
Reading Level: Grade 6+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: GRAPHIC FOR

Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

Book Jacket

For the first time in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family.  Mom has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities--with no apparent motive.  Dad has a secret.  Izzy's brother and sister are at war--for no apparent reason.  And her niece keeps saying "banana" even though she hates bananas.

That's not to say that Izzy isn't without her own troubles.  Her boyfriend, Henry Stone, keeps wanting "to talk," a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry's mother.

Things aren't any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations.  First, Rae is hired to follow a girl, only to fake the surveillance reports.  Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula.  And as the questions pile up, Izzy won't stop hunting for the answers--even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family.

Review

By this fifth installment of the Spellman family's misadventures, reading about Izzy's life is like curling up in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate.  Never has dysfunction been so cozy.  It helps, I suppose, that although the Spellmans are still ridiculous, they are a bit more mature and communicative.

Mostly thanks to Demetrius, the recently freed wrongfully-convicted criminal who is now working for Spellman Investigations.  Both the Spellmans and I agree:  Demetrius is awesome!  I loved his logic and abililty to sidestep compromising conversations.  I loved his sneaky baking and random relationships with grandmothers and mysterious girlfriends.  He was a wonderful addition to the series, and I can't wait to read more about him.

I actually really liked the mystery parts of the book.  I cared about who was lying, how they were lying, and whether the lies would ever be uncovered.  Usually the PI stuff is skippable for me, but this time I was invested.

Rae is making a comeback for my affections, which inevitably means David is falling behind.  I still liked him, but these crazy siblings!  I can't ever like them or hate them at the same time.  Momma and Poppa Spellman were more likeable this time around.  And Isabel?  Well, I completely understand why she acts the way she does and chooses the way she does, but it did make me a little sad.

I'm super bummed that I've now caught up with real life and will have to wait for the next Spellman book like the rest of humanity.  Sad.

Five out of five running faucets.

Release Date:  February 2012
Reading Level: Grade 9+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: Not currently part of Dunlap's collection.