IMPOSSIBLE INVENTIONS

Name: IMPOSSIBLE INVENTIONS
Author: Malgorzata Mycielska
ISBN: 978-1-77657-170-3

IDEAS THAT SHOULDN'T WORK

by Malgorzata Mycielska ; illustrated by Aleksandra Mizielinska & Daniel Mizielinski ; translated by Agnes Monod-Gayraud ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2018

An amiable ramble past some of the quirkier highlights in the history of invention.

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Descriptions of over three dozen historical inventions—a few of which, at least, have turned out to be not as harebrained as they may seem at first glance.

Pride of place goes, of course, to Leonardo da Vinci, though other eccentric visionaries such as Heron of Alexandria (a mysteriously self-opening door) and Nikola Tesla (planetwide wireless electric power) earn nods. Along with a squadron of vehicles that would (supposedly) fly or float into the air, the authors present a variety of ancient timepieces, including one that used scents, oddball vehicles driven by steam, a device that sorts small candies by color, the once-renowned chess-playing (fake) automaton known as the “Mechanical Turk,” an LP record made of ice, a flatulence deodorizer, and like oddities. Nearly all of these saw at least experimental models—though, in the case of Leonardo’s ornithopter, not until 2010. The entries are arranged in no particular order. Most come with labeled schematic illustrations of the invention and, on the following pages, a broader cityscape or other scene featuring witnesses offering humorous comments or critical observations (“We forgot to add brakes!”). Human figures are all caricatures, European of features except for one group of Chinese.

An amiable ramble past some of the quirkier highlights in the history of invention. (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: March 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-77657-170-3

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Gecko Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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THE MAN-EATING TIGERS OF SUNDARBANS

by Sy Montgomery & photographed by Eleanor Briggs ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

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The author of The Snake Scientist (not reviewed) takes the reader along on another adventure, this time to the Bay of Bengal, between India and Bangladesh to the Sundarbans Tiger Preserve in search of man-eating tigers. Beware, he cautions, “Your study subject might be trying to eat you!” The first-person narrative is full of helpful warnings: watch out for the estuarine crocodiles, “the most deadly crocodiles in the world” and the nine different kinds of dangerous sharks, and the poisonous sea snakes, more deadly than the cobra. Interspersed are stories of the people who live in and around the tiger preserve, information on the ecology of the mangrove swamp, myths and legends, and true life accounts of man-eating tigers. (Fortunately, these tigers don’t eat women or children.) The author is clearly on the side of the tigers as she states: “Even if you added up all the people that sick tigers were forced to eat, you wouldn’t get close to the number of tigers killed by people.” She introduces ideas as to why Sundarbans tigers eat so many people, including the theory, “When they attack people, perhaps they are trying to protect the land that they own. And maybe, as the ancient legend says, the tiger really is watching over the forest—for everyone’s benefit.” There are color photographs on every page, showing the landscape, people, and a variety of animals encountered, though glimpses of the tigers are fleeting. The author concludes with some statistics on tigers, information on organizations working to protect them, and a brief bibliography and index. The dramatic cover photo of the tiger will attract readers, and the lively prose will keep them engaged. An appealing science adventure. (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-618-07704-9

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
BRAVE BABY HUMMINGBIRD
by Sy Montgomery ; illustrated by Tiffany Bozic

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BOOK OF TURTLES
by Sy Montgomery ; illustrated by Matt Patterson

- BOOK REVIEW
BECOMING A GOOD CREATURE
by Sy Montgomery ; illustrated by Rebecca Green

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FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON

by Alexandra Siy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

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In this glossy photo essay, the author briefly recounts the study and exploration of the moon, beginning with Stonehenge and concluding with the 1998–99 unmanned probe, Lunar Prospector. Most of the dramatic photographs come from NASA and will introduce a new generation of space enthusiasts to the past missions of Project Mercury, Gemini, and most especially the moon missions, Apollo 1–17. There are plenty of photographs of various astronauts in space capsules, space suits, and walking on the moon. Sometimes photographs are superimposed one on another, making it difficult to read. For example, one photograph shows the command module Columbia as photographed from the lunar module and an insert shows the 15-layer space suit and gear Neil Armstrong would wear for moonwalking. That’s a lot to process on one page. Still, the awesome images of footprints on the moon, raising the American flag, and earthrise from the moon, cannot help but raise shivers. The author concludes with a timeline of exploration, Web sites, recommended books, and picture credits. For NASA memorabilia collectors, end papers show the Apollo space badges for missions 11–17. Useful for replacing aging space titles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)