{"id":30367,"date":"2016-06-30T23:55:37","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T03:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=30367"},"modified":"2016-06-30T23:55:37","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T03:55:37","slug":"review-of-whoosh-by-chris-barton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=30367","title":{"rendered":"Review of Whoosh! by Chris Barton"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"whoosh_large\"<\/a>Whoosh!<\/p>\n

Lonnie Johnson\u2019s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions<\/em><\/p>\n

by Chris Barton<\/p>\n

illustrated by Don Tate<\/p>\n

Charlesbridge, 2016. 32 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine a more kid-friendly picture book biography. The subject is Lonnie Johnson, the African-American inventor who created the Super Soaker water gun. Need I say more?<\/p>\n

Lonnie Johnson\u2019s story is as inspiring as you might imagine. He played with rockets as a kid and won first place in a science fair at the University of Alabama with a homemade robot in 1968, the first year that African-Americans were even allowed to participate. He worked for NASA on the Galileo<\/em> probe.<\/p>\n

The idea for the Super Soaker water gun came by accident when Lonnie was working on a cooling system using water and air pressure. That particular accident makes an amusing illustration. But even when he\u2019d thought how to apply the ideas to a water gun and created a prototype, he met with obstacles in trying to get a company to produce his invention.<\/p>\n

When he finally did get a meeting, there\u2019s another fun illustration, with a special fold-out page, demonstrating the Super Soaker.<\/p>\n

Best of all, Lonnie Johnson isn\u2019t finished yet. Yes, he made profits at last from his invention. Here\u2019s how the book ends:<\/p>\n

So what did Lonnie do?<\/p>\n

He got a bigger workshop, which is where you\u2019ll find him today. Because facing challenges, solving problems, and building things are what Lonnie Johnson loves to do. And his ideas just keep on flowing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

May this book inspire more kids to be inventors!<\/p>\n

chrisbarton.info<\/a>
\ndontate.com<\/a>
\ncharlesbridge.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/whoosh.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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