Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories about Inventions

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Did you know that the ice cream sundae was invented because of a law forbidding the sale of ice cream on Sundays? Or that the first motorcycle was really just a tricycle with a motor? Would you believe that Mickey Mouse started out as a rabbit? Arranged in alphabetical order with anecdotal, fun-to-read text, this fascinating book is packed with the stories behind these and over 100 more inventions. "[An] entertaining volume of trivia." - Kirkus Reviews

Brief ...

See more details below
Paperback (Reprint)
$5.39
BN.com price
(Save 10%)$5.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (36) from $1.99   
  • New (17) from $2.84   
  • Used (19) from $1.99   
Note: Kids' Club Eligible. See More Details.
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

Did you know that the ice cream sundae was invented because of a law forbidding the sale of ice cream on Sundays? Or that the first motorcycle was really just a tricycle with a motor? Would you believe that Mickey Mouse started out as a rabbit? Arranged in alphabetical order with anecdotal, fun-to-read text, this fascinating book is packed with the stories behind these and over 100 more inventions. "[An] entertaining volume of trivia." - Kirkus Reviews

Brief factual stories about how various familiar things were invented, many by accident, from animal crackers to the zipper.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature - Melinda M. Sprinkle
Did you know that the Babe Ruth Candy Bar is not, as you may have thought, named after Babe Ruth, the baseball player, but after President Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth? Other inventions such as Band-Aids, balloons, doughnuts, Twinkies, Velcro, and even wedding rings are fascinating things. But where did they develop, and who invented them? The answers as well as other surprising information are found within this fact-filled book. Although teachers could use this book as a nonfiction time-filler read-aloud, children will find the book somewhat uninteresting due to the lack of illustrations. A table of contents is included.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-8This collection includes 114 inventions and the amusing, sometimes amazing stories behind them. Arranged alphabetically from "animal crackers" to "zipper," the inventions range from ancient times dice have been around for 40,000 years to recent discoveries such as bar code scanners and Gatorade. Though some major technological advances are included submarines and robots, most of the inventions are less significant miniature golf, Tinker Toys, and Fig Newtons. Unfortunately, the format is not particularly exciting. Each invention gets one page, with varying amounts of information. There are two simple sentences about drinking straws opposite a four paragraph treatment of Dr. Pepper. The alphabetical arrangement means that similar inventions are not grouped together. Instead of reading about potato chips and ice cream consecutively, "ice-cream cone" is followed by "jigsaw puzzle." This book suffers in comparison to Charlotte Jones's excellent Mistakes That Worked Doubleday, 1994 and Accidents May Happen Delacorte, 1996, both of which feature livelier texts, thematically grouped inventions, and amusing illustrations. Where Wulffson's title serves as a list of interesting inventions, Jones's titles convey cohesive ideas about the importance of accidental discoveries.Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Kirkus Reviews
Wulffson (Time Fix, 1994) sketches out the origins of 99 inventions in this entertaining volume of trivia that may launch further research for reports. There is no depth on any topic, nor descriptions of inventors' lives, nor information on how patents are obtained. There are few child inventors included, so the title may mislead; nevertheless, one good example of youthful ingenuity is that of Blaise Pascal, who was 19 when he created a counting machine to assist his father, involved daily in routine calculations. Readers learn that some dice were loaded in ancient Egypt; that baseball caps evolved from imitations of Civil War military hats; that flyswatters must have holes to be effective; that some inventions might have flopped without a push in the public-relations department. Such stories are well-suited to sharing.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780141302041
  • Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
  • Publication date: 3/28/1999
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 128
  • Sales rank: 160,388
  • Age range: 8 - 12 Years
  • Lexile: 1080L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.10 (w) x 7.78 (h) x 0.37 (d)

Meet the Author

Don L. Wulffson is the author of more than forty books, including Point Blank, The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle, Future Fright, and The Upside-Down Ship. He lives in Northridge, California.

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 18, 2009

    The Kid Who Invented The Popsicle

    My 9yr old son loves fact books and this one is great for kids who like to learn tidbits of info on things!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 29, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)