Transformed: How Everyday Things Are Made

by Bill Slavin, Bill Slavin (Illustrator)

Overview

CDs start out as sand. Blackboard chalk comes from tiny sea creatures. The objects all around us — every single product in the world — is made from elements found in nature. Discover how nature is transformed into more than 60 things we eat, drink, play with, wear or use every day. Technology changes constantly, but the stages raw materials go through to become finished objects remain much the same. On every page of this big book, these processes are described and illustrated step by step. The text and artwork combine playfulness with encyclopedic attention to detail. This unique and fascinating book will inform and entertain every step of the way. Includes a glossary, index and further resources to help children, parents and teachers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554532445
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	08/01/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,080,911
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.37(d)
Lexile:	IG1080L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Bill Slavin is an award-winning children's book illustrator with over 50 books to his credit. His works include Stanley's Party and The Bear on the Bed He lives in Millbrook, Ontario.

Bill Slavin is an award-winning children's book illustrator with over 50 books to his credit. His works include Stanley's Party and The Bear on the Bed He lives in Millbrook, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

[F]ascinating picture of modern manufacturing—Booklinks

[L]ively presentation.—School Library Journal

Transformed provides illuminating answers to the questions that children ask and that adults forget they've wondered.—ForeWord

A jaunty and enthusiastic foray into how stuff is made.—Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 4-7-This lively presentation looks at how 69 familiar items are made. "Fun and Games" includes baseballs, guitars, teddy bears, CDs, and marbles; "Around the House" includes books, dental floss, erasers, toothpaste, and wire; and "Soup to Nuts" covers bread, ice cream, peanut butter, and yogurt. The last section describes the raw materials used in the manufacturing processes, including aluminum, glass, paper, petroleum, and rubber. Historical information is included, such as the fact that the earliest form of football was played with a pig's bladder in Virginia in 1609. The steps needed to manufacture each item are numbered in bold type so that readers can follow along, and whimsical cartoon art helps them understand the process. Although reminiscent of David Macaulay's The Way Things Work (Houghton, 1988), this book is less technical and is written for younger children.-Ann Joslin, formerly at Erie County Public Library, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Slavin boils down the processing or construction of 39 common products, from baseballs to kitty litter, into a few steps-each of which is illustrated with a cartoon scene featuring a crew of thumb-sized workers in overalls. Any child wondering why aluminum foil is shiny on one side and dull on the other, how the "pea" gets into the whistle or stripes into toothpaste, or what the probable ingredients of a "well-known cola" are, will find answers here-albeit drastically simplified ones. Closing with a look at 11 basic substances (plus one process, "Recycling"), this behind-the-scenes-at-the-factory tour isn't going to dislodge David Macaulay's New Way Things Work (1998) from the top of the heap of similar titles, but it makes good light fare for casual browsing. (Nonfiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews

[Fascinating picture of modern manufacturing

Booklinks

Transformed provides illuminating answers to the questions that children ask and that adults forget they’ve wondered.

ForeWord

A jaunty and enthusiastic foray into how stuff is made.

Booklist