Eric Sloane’s Simple Machines: A Boy, a Diary, and the Building of America

Description

This charming and informative volume introduces readers young and old to simple machines and how they work.  Wil modeled this volume after Eric Sloane’s 1962 classic Diary of An Early American Boy, Noah Blake: 1805, using Eric’s original characters, pen and ink illustrations, design, and font.  New stories are told of how Noah, Rachel, Izaak, Mr. Beach, and Mr. Simon used simple machines throughout 1805 to help them accomplish many tasks.  These engaging stories provide the reader with a thorough understanding of what simple machines can and cannot do, generously supplemented with the drawings of architect Barry Merenoff.  Additionally, Professor James Brennan explores the mathematics and physics behind how each simple machine provides a mechanical advantage to the user.  The result is an informative and engaging book that will delight the young and the young at heart, the reader just beginning to understand simple machines and the reader who understands advanced mathematics and physics – and every reader in between.

If you love the work of Eric Sloane, you’ll love this book.  The perfect gift for anyone who admires the pen and ink drawings of the artist, and who wants to learn more about how simple machines were used to build much of early America.