Amazing Leonardo de Vinci
Inventions You Can Build Yourself
By Maxine Anderson
Nomad Press. $15.95. Ages: 9-12
This hands-on history book not only provides some interesting information about the Renaissance and the life of Leonardo de Vinci but it also offers a series of hands-on projects based on de Vinci’s inventions.
Using the information found here, you can transform a plastic milk jug into a masque mask, learn to make paint from dirt and an egg yolk, and create a camera obscura with a tennis ball canister or large box as well as fashion shoes that will enable you to walk on water.
Each project comes with a list of materials needed and easy-to-follow instructions. There’s also an explanation that connects de Vinci to the project and explains how and why he spent his time on this idea or invention.
Science teachers and parents home schooling a child will find this book a useful resource with some excellent ideas on how to engage a youngster with some hands-on work that uses scientific principles and teaches the young person a little bit about the Renaissance period.
Better Than a Lemonade Stand!
Small Business Ideas for Kids
By Daryl Bernstein
Illustrated by Rob Husberg
Aladdin/Beyond Words. $18.99. Ages: 9-14
First released in 1992, this book has helped scores of young entrepreneurs start their own businesses. This new edition contains over fifty ideas for making money by operating your own one person business.
Each entry describes the idea and then lists supplies needed, time involved, what to charge, how to advertise and then a set of “Hints” that will make it easier to make the business a success.
Admittedly, some of the ideas here are questionable and probably won’t work in many areas. I think you can skip over jobs like phone information-line organizer, rock painter, silver polisher, collectibles show organizer and disc jockey.
But there are other suggestions that might be quite useful and create a nice flow of revenue. Jobs like dog walker, car washer, cage and litter box cleaner, garbage can mover (for older folks), party helper and seedling grower are all potential moneymakers.
If you do check out this book, be sure to read the section entitled “Cautions” that outlines safety, local ordinances, financial risk, taxes and other things you should be aware of.
Design Line: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
By Chris Oxlade
Illustrated by Mike Lemanski
Big Picture Press/Canflewick. $17.99 Age: all ages
This concertina foldout book features one hundred iconic boats, bikes, trains and other modes of transportation that exhibit a creative excellence which make them stand out from the competition.
The foldout stretches to just over six feet. On side are the illustrations and the back has the date and a bit of information about the machine. For example, you’ll discover that in 1894 the “Turbinia” appeared in England and was the first ship powered by a steam turbine. Designed by Charles Parsons, the vessel was the fastest ship in the world at the time.
Grouped by time periods, you also notice that during the 1920s the Ford Trimotor airplane and the Hudson streamliner appeared, as did the Bugatti Type 41 Royale auto and the Indian Chief motorcycle.
From the horse drawn Hansom Cab and the Fokker Dr-1 fighter plane to the Lunar Rover and Segway, you’ll discover a wide array of machines for moving people and goods from one place to another.
Although not a book in the traditional sense, this unusual foldout is a visual delight with lots of interesting information. All you’ll need is a space to spread it out!
Stone Giant: Michelangelo’s David and How He Came To Be
By Jane Sutcliffe
Illustrated by John Shelley
Charlesbridge. $16.95. Ages: 6-9
Jane Sutcliffe retells the story of the creation of one of the most famous statues in the world – Michelangelo Buonarroti’s sculpture of the shepherd boy from the Bible who killed the giant warrior, Goliath.
The huge block of marble David was carved from rested in Florence, Italy, for over forty years before Michelangelo began the three-year task of transforming it from a weathered block of stone to a breathtaking image of a young man.
Once finished, David had to then be moved from the workshop where he was created to a place of honor in Florence’s city square. It took forty men four days to move the 18-foot statue and get it up on a pedestal where everyone could admire it.
Filled with period detail and featuring vibrant color, John Shelley’s illustrations bring the narrative alive and add the visual dimension that makes this picture book so special and one that both children and adults well enjoy reading.
Fractions in Disguise
By Edward Einhorn
Illustrated by David Clark
Charlesbridge. $7.95. Ages: 7-10
This clever introduction to simplifying fractions lets George Cornelius Factor (GCF for short) do the teaching. George loves fractions so much, he collects them.
GCF begins this fanciful tale by showing the reader his fraction collection. Then, when he hears that a valuable fraction will be up for auction, George knows he has to bid on it. But before he can “seal the deal”, the fraction goes missing.
What follows is GCF’s quest to track down the missing fraction. This means also matching wits with the dastardly D. Brok, who is famous for disguising fractions he has illegally obtained.
With his “Reducer”, an ingenious device he invents to reduce fractions down to their simplest form, GFC attempts to foil Dr. Brok and recover the valuable missing fraction.
Granted this picture book is a bit weird but it does accomplish the end result, which is to make learning about fractions fun. Oh, did you also figure out GCF also stands for greatest common factor?
Creatures
By Orla Kiely
Egmont. $12.99 (Ages: toddler)
British fashion designer Orla Kiely has created an animal concept board book that introduces a variety of animals. The clothbound book is sturdy and the graphics and colors come together nicely to create a very attractive and pleasing experience for both the child and his or her parents.
This is a cut above the normal concept books you’ll find in the marketplace.