Customer Reviews

The Day-Glo Brothers

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think a lot of kids grow up thinking that great discoveries are intentional. People intended to walk on the moon. Edison intended to create a light bulb. Some bloke intended to find a way to can Spam. That's why there's a whole genre of non-fiction picture books out there dedicated to accidental discoveries. People like to tell kids that sometimes greatness is a mistake, not planned or earned. But I think there's a third way of looking at this. What about the people who worked har...more I think a lot of kids grow up thinking that great discoveries are intentional. People intended to walk on the moon. Edison intended to create a light bulb. Some bloke intended to find a way to can Spam. That's why there's a whole genre of non-fiction picture books out there dedicated to accidental discoveries. People like to tell kids that sometimes greatness is a mistake, not planned or earned. But I think there's a third way of looking at this. What about the people who worked hard their whole lives, experimented and tested and mucked about, and then discovered something new and unexpected? These aren't necessarily people who tripped over a genius idea and somehow ended up with a pocket full of cash. People like Bob and Joe Switzer discovered Day-Glo colors because they were curious, thoughtful, and willing to experiment. Now author Chris Barton brings us what is pretty much the world's first biography of the inventors of Day-Glo colors. And what better format to use than the picture book? Works for me.

Bob and Joe had dreams, you know. Big brother Bob wanted to someday become a doctor, while younger sib Joe had a fascination with magic. But Bob's dream came to an abrupt halt when an accident in a railroad car gave him seizures and double vision. Stuck in a darkened basement, Bob was soon joined by Joe who thought this new thing called fluorescence could help his magic act. They set to experimenting, and over the years these experiments included testing chemicals. They excelled in creating glow-in-the-dark colors, but it wasn't until a combination of dye and hot alcohol that they discovered the secret of Day-Glo. The result? Their colors helped America win WWII, then went on to bedeck everything from hula-hoops to Andy Warhol paintings. They dreamed big, they found something new, and they helped people out as a result. Not too shabby for two guys from Montana.

When the book you hold in your hands is all about the discovery of a certain kind of color, it's very important to get the right design feel right from the start. Open this book. First off, the endpapers and the bookflaps play off of one another. At the front you have the orange on top of yellow, across from green. At the back you have yellow on top of green, across from orange. When the story really begins, though, you begin to understand why illustrator Tony Persiani was called in. An artist that exploits a kind of pseudo-retro style under normal circumstances anyway, Persiani's look at the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s works because he can make a character both historically accurate in terms of the style, and appeasing to our contemporary eyes. Paging through his art, the colored sequences sometimes resemble nothing so much as stills from the Yogi Bear show. All curves and swoops.

Now the book is a series of grays at the beginning. This works nicely, particularly since the grays are shaded in different ways. It would have been awfully easy to just turn these pictures into black lines on white paper. But different shades and tones of gray mean that the story has a depth to it. It also means that Persiani can play around with the images. When we see Bob in his basement healing up, he is surrounded by ghosts of various ketchup bottles. They are the bottles present in the railroad car when the barricade Bob was on collapsed. Color, when it is introduced, is always a light fluorescent in some way. As a result, the book very gradually works in more and more color. In spite of your slow visual acceptance of this, when you actually see your first appearance of Day-Glo it's shocking. And the second time when Bob and Joe rediscover it? Persiani has the wherewithal to turn that moment into its own undulating, high-octane, visually blinding two-page spread. The world's first use of Day-Glo in a children's picture book? Maybe not the first first, but certainly the most memorable.

Because Barton is relying on so many primary sources (old colleagues, family members, spouses, etc.) to get his story, he doesn't have a long Bibliography to tie up the book at the end. That's okay though, since in his Author's Note he credits the people he spoke with as well as four other written sources. Of course, what this really means is that Barton has told a story in a picture book format that has never really ever been told before. I'm always fascinated by non-fiction authors of children's books that do the research on a story that has been passed over by writers of adult informational texts. It seems strange to think that the story of Day-Glo colors has never been written, aside from the occasional obituary and self-published title. Credit to Barton where credit is due, then.

Between handling materials "detailing their earliest experiments" and reading the patents for daylight fluorescent signaling and display devices, we know that Mr. Barton did his homework. Did illustrator Tony Persiani? Hard to say. There is nothing to indicate whether or not Mr. Persiani modeled the characters of Bob and Joe on existing photographs and the like. I doubt that I would have wondered, except that there were moments of history, illustrated by his hand, that would have been interesting to know more about. For example, we are told that "A printer in Cleveland, Ohio, began using the Switzer boys' fluorescent ink to make posters for movie theaters." Accompanying this fact is a poster for something called The Lamps of China. As a fan of old time theater poster art, I would have liked to have known more about this poster, but as it stands it's hard to say whether or not such a movie ever actually existed. What's the solution, though? Would I really want an artist go footnoting his pictures in a picture book? Or take up valuable text space with his additional information? I have to be content in the belief that something as broad as a theater title would not have been conjured up for the sake of a book.

I harbor no such questions with Mr. Barton's text. With its eye-popping colors, it's sure to be a visual draw for young `uns. But will the writing be a draw as well? For some. I mean, when you get right down to it, this is a book about discovering all new COLORS. Who even does that? How do you even begin to try to convey the insanity of such an accomplishment? Creating shades never before seen by the human eye? Mind-blowing. But will a kid find such a story interesting? Some will. But I mean, let's face it. Not every kid is a fan of non-fiction. For them, the passages outlining Bob and Joe's New Year's Day drive in 1936 or experiments with ultraviolet light will not enthrall. But there are some science-minded kids out there, and for them Day-Glo Brothers will make them think, and wonder, and dream.

Maybe part of what I like so much about this book is Barton's conclusion. Because writing about a discovery is one thing. Writing about people is another. But when Barton notes that originally Bob wanted to be a doctor and originally Joe wanted to be a magician, he ends with a capper to end all cappers. "One brother wanted to save lives. The other brother wanted to dazzle crowds. With Day-Glo, they did both." This is Chris Barton's first work of non-fiction. With his extensive research skills and way with words, I hope that it is safe to say that it won't be his last.

I'd honestly never thought about how Day-Glo colors came to be. They were like packaged, sliced bread and chicken legs wrapped in cellophane at the grocery store...always there in the store all my life, so I never thought much about their genesis. Chris is an uncommonly good writer--I've seen his writing for many years--and has great judgment about what's gonna be interesting to others. He illuminates the childhood dreams and hard work of the Day-Glo brothers in an inspiring way for adults and children. It's fascinating to see how trial and error and a few bits of serendipity helped the brothers along. I love the colors in the book. It shows what happens when you take a careful researcher, an engaging writer, an imaginative use of day-glo color and fun illustrations. You have a book (not just for children) well worth reading.

Brothers Robert and Joseph Switzer, inventors of fluorescent paints commonly known as Day-Glo, did not plan to become inventors as they grew up. Bob wanted to become a doctor while Joe had an avid interest in magic. When a serious accident left Bob recuperating from a head injury in their darkened basement while Joe was thinking about how fluorescence could add excitement to his magic acts, the young men started experimenting in the dark with ultraviolet light and chemicals that emitted a glow.

Once they realized that they could use certain chemicals to make glow-in-the-dark paints and sell them for posters and store-window displays, Bob and Joe's idea took off. They worked hard for years to refine their paints and contribute to a host of extremely useful applications, including fabric panels, buoys, and fluorescent suits used to save lives during World War II; as well as numerous products commonly used today, including traffic cones, life vests, magic markers, hula hoops, street signs, and golf balls.

Based on primary sources that include interviews with Bob and Joe Switzer's family members, this carefully-researched book provides a fascinating profile of a material we take for granted and the men who created it. The illustrations, which start in grey-tone and progressively incorporate a range of fluorescent yellow, green, and orange colors, make a striking contribution to the story. This unique book certainly adds a dazzling dimension to our understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship.

If you have a kid who's asked "Why is the sky blue?" or "Why is the grass green?" (and that's probably every kid everywhere), this is a delightful book for your child. It tells the story of an invention that's not easy to understand in simple terms, and points to where you can find more information on this fascinating technology. Day-Glo colors are truly everywhere, and this book reveals the tale behind them. Kudos, Chris!

Sometimes it can be difficult to find a non-fiction children's book that can be both educational and entertaining. And even then, most of these are typically about animals or nature. Finding one about an everyday household item is even more unusual. Meet the Day-Glo Brothers.

We are all familiar with the eye-popping greens, yellows and oranges that are created with daylight fluorescents. They appear on life jackets, running shoes, traffic cones, hunting vests, sports equipment and more. But have you ever wondered how this process works or how it was created?

Brothers Bob and Joe Switzer couldn't have been more different. Joe had his sights set on becoming a magician while Bob wanted to be a doctor. Bob's dreams were dashed in an accident at work, when he fell and hit his head, causing seizures and double vision. He began to help Joe expplore the possibilities of using fluorescence to jazz up his magic act. The Switzers built an ultraviolet lamp and started to experiment with chemicals to make glow-in-the-dark paints. These paints only showed up under ultraviolet light, but not in ordinary daylight.

Though trial and hard work, the brothers discovered a process to make those same paints glow in ordinary daylight too! Called "Day-Glo" these were in demand during World War II - used to send signals, mark water buoys, and to aid on lifeboats and aircraft carrier crews. After the war, day-glo colors were marketed to the general public and showed up in our everyday life.

Overall, an excellent and educational book in one package. Pair that with the brilliant and colorful illustrations from Tony Persiani and this is a great addition to your bookshelf. The small details make this a fascinating read, which makes a great story for kids of many ages.

The Switzer Brothers were the inventors of Day-Glo colors. This was a nice book with a well told pleasant story. The brothers decided to work together on creating florescent colors for brother Joe's magic act and then found additional uses for them. The work in attempting to create colors that are florescent in the daylight was especially difficult to create. Great story for inventors and artists who work with color.

Bob and Joe Switzer were dreamers. Not dreamers in the sense they sat around all day dreaming of far off places or things they wanted, but rather they always were thinking of "bright ideas." Bob was always thinking up ways to make money and thought of very unusual ways to spend in once it was in his hands. When he was a boy, he saved his hard earned money to "pay for a ride in the open cockpit of a stunt plane." Joe, his younger brother who fancied himself to be a magician, was a problem solver. He rigged up a mirror so his dad, weakened by a kidney condition and a bad back, could lie down and watch to see if anyone were coming through the door of his drugstore.

Joe wanted to be in "showbiz" and Bob wanted to be a doctor, but an accident put an end to his plans. Mr. Showbiz helped out the family finances with his performances, but wanted to improve his act, especially his black art illusions. Together the brothers began to experiment using "different chemicals to make glow-in-the-dark paints." One time they used their mother's angel food cake pan, neglected to clean it properly and she got the most amazing cake ever. They continued to work on their colors while Joe became even more popular as a magician. One day he "dipped some silk fabric samples in a boiling combination of alcohol and florescent dye." A very different chemical reaction was going on here. What caused this "glowing" effect on the fabric?

Unless an invention is outstanding, most people don't stop to think of the story behind inventions that we all know about and have used at one time or another. This was a very interesting story of a discovery that entailed both a little research and a little luck. The illustrations inside the book, except for a couple in the front, were black and white, but when the discoveries were being made we saw little glimpses of what was to come and then toward the end we got the total WOW effect of the Switzer brother's discovery. This was a very interesting biography that will entrance a wide range of young and old people alike. Wait until you read about the "eye-grabbing" billboard that looked like it was on fire!

Who knew? What a fascinating story behind those colors we take for granted. Chris Barton's text, combined with Tony Persiani's illustrations, make this book a must-have for any children's library.

This is an engaging and informative story about the Switzer brothers who invented fluorescent paint. Joe liked to do magic tricks, and when he read about the principle of fluorescence, decided he wanted to use this idea in his magic act. Bob was studying to become a doctor when he sustained a head injury that damaged his vision. No longer able to be in school, he worked with Joe during his long recovery to experiment with fluorescence; they built an ultraviolet lamp and eventually they created fluorescent paint and ink. The illustrations are computer generated cartoon style drawings that are "digitally colorized with Day-Glo orange, yellow and green." Two appended notes describe how regular and daylight fluorescence work. There is an author's note that tells about his fascination with writing this story, and lists some of the sources he used.

I had never given much thought to fluorescent colors until I came across this book. How Bob and Joe Switzer worked together to develop these extraordinary hues is fascinating in itself, but the imaginative illustrations which transition from shades of gray to the inclusion of Day-Glo colors really capture the mood and intent of the book. An outstanding picture book. Highly Recommended!