Presents the history and development of this household appliance, describes how it works, and discusses its role in popular culture; includes recipes using a toaster.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-With full-color photographs and reproductions, useful diagrams and drawings, and lively texts, these titles heighten interest in and understanding about familiar items. Alphin provides a solid introduction to two household appliances, tracing their history, important technological developments, and roles in popular culture. Irons catches readers' interest with a magnified photograph of the parasites that can grow on wet laundry. Many little-known and interesting facts are shared along with plenty of visuals that illustrate changes in these devices through the years. Toasters also grabs attention by discussing and illustrating mold and yeast as they affect bread. Beginning with bartering, Young traces the history of money up to the present-day use of checks, credit cards, and electronic technology. He also discusses how the currency used in the U.S. is minted and measures intended to prevent counterfeiting. All of the books have helpful glossaries and indexes, as well as one or more engaging activities. These abundantly illustrated titles, excellent for doing research and reports, will fill a need in units on inventions and other social-science topics.
Stephani Hutchinson, Pioneer Elementary School, Sunnyside, WA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Stephani Hutchinson, Pioneer Elementary School, Sunnyside, WA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Who would have thought that the toaster would ever achieve status as a cultural icon? Yet, in four short and snappy chapters, Alphin (Vacuum Cleaners, 1997, etc.) and the Household History series (see Young, below) continue to prove that even the most mundane appliance is worthy of serious study. Readers curious about the mechanics of toasters will learn the details of how plain bread is transformed into warm and nourishing breakfast food through the magic of trip plates, timer strips, and browning controls. Alphin's description of the development of the modern toaster, accompanied by plentiful photographs and illustrations of early models, is both comprehensive and fascinating. The icing on the cake, or rather the jam on the toast, is a selection of simple recipes for comfort food favorites. (glossary, index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-11) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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More About the Author
Elaine Marie Alphin knew she was going to be a writer before she could even read or write. On early morning walks with her father in San Francisco, she listened to the stories he told, and made up stories to tell him, and she realized then that she wanted to spend her life making up stories. Winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery (Counterfeit Son), the ForeWard Book of the Year Award for Young Adult Fiction (The Perfect Shot), the Society of Midland Authors Children's Fiction Award and Young Hoosier Book Award (Ghost Soldier, also an Edgar Award nominee), the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award (Dinosaur Hunter), two Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators Magazine Merit Awards, and the Virginia State Reading Association Award (The Ghost Cadet), Mrs. Alphin has made writing for children and young adults, and speaking to them at schools and conferences, her dream career. Although she started out as a journalist in Houston, a tip from her husband, Art, drew her to writing for children. Her fiction and nonfiction books for youngsters from beginning readers through teenagers have been selected for Bank Street College lists, TAYSHAS lists, VOYA Top Shelf lists, and 20 Children's Choice state award lists. Although adults occasionally ask when she's going to grow up enough to write for them, Elaine Marie Alphin explains why she loves writing for young readers instead: "I always wanted my writing to challenge readers to question their assumptions, and I discovered that a lot of grown-ups don't really want to question their assumptions. They've made choices and compromises in their lives, and they want to feel comfortable about them. But young readers are still finding out who they are, like I am, I guess. They're the perfect audience for me because they want to consider new ideas in order to decide for themselves which ideas they agree with and which they don't, and work out how they want to live their lives." Elaine Marie Alphin has written one book for adults: Creating Characters Kids Will Love. It's about writing for young readers. Get to know Elaine Marie Alphin better at her website: www.elainemariealphin.com. The Alphins live in Bozeman, Montana, and spend time in South Dakota and Wyoming.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating history of an ordinary object!,
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This review is from: Toasters (Household History) (Library Binding)
Bread has always been so important a commodity, that in ancient times, people actually used it as money! But, the biggest problem with bread was mold that could quickly make it unsafe to eat. The best way to preserve bread was to dry or toast it, which also enhanced the flavor by caramelizing the sugars and starches.
Toasters traces the history of that process from ancient Egypt to computer-age toasting. The book is wonderfully illustrated and presents history in a novel and lively fashion. As an added bonus, there is some surprising information about toast-inspired art, cartoons and recipes with a glossary for review. What a fascinating little book for young readers! Adults will enjoy reading it as well.
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