Reviews: (by author)

Alphin, Elaine Marie Toasters / Iron. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1998. $22.60 each. Toasters ISBN 1-5750-5243-1; Irons ISBN 1-5750-5238-5.

From the "Household History" series.

People use many items in their households everyday, but do they ever take time to think about how those items were invented? Probably not. Elaine Marie Alphin takes her young readers on an informative and interesting journey into the histories of two widely used household items with her books Toasters and Irons. In both books, she recounts the historical backgrounds of the toaster and the iron. In Toasters, She highlights the origins of bread toasting since prehistoric times, all the way up to the age of the modern toasters used today. In Irons, she does the same, noting the problems people had using early irons, while eventually working her way to the evolution of the modern stem irons now in use.

In addition, she wisely adds safety tips for using toasters and irons, giving her readers very useful and important information. At the end of Toasters, she even includes recipes for making cinnamon toast and miniature pizzas! At the end of each book, she also includes a glossary of terms to help her readers comprehend the technical terms they read about. These are two outstanding books that children will undoubtedly enjoy reading.

Recommended reading level: Age 9-12

Reviewed by Phillip Scott

 

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