Overview

Meet Frank Zamboni, whose determination and persistence led to his invention of the now-famous Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine. A new picture book biography in the award-winning Great Ideas series, Clean Sweep! introduces young readers to an invention that transformed skating. When Frank Zamboni, along with his brother and cousin, opened their own skating rink in 1940 in Paramount, California, it could take an hour and a half for a crew to resurface the ice. They had to level the surface by shaving down the pits and grooves with a tractor, remove the shavings, wash the ice and find a way to give the rink its shining finish. Skaters became exasperated with the wait, so Frank was determined to do something about it. Could he turn a ninety-minute job for five men into a ten-minute task for only one? Working in the shed behind his ice rink, Frank drew designs and built models of machines he hoped would do the job. For nine years, he worked on his invention, each model an improvement on the one before. Finally, in 1949, Frank tested the Model A, which ""cleaned the ice in one sweep around the rink."" The rest is history.

Full Product Details

9781770497955

Table of Contents

Reviews

PRAISE FOR Spic-and-Span! In Spic-and-Span, Monica Kulling tells Gilbreth's life story with warmth and clarity. - The Boston Globe This engaging picture-book biography details the many accomplishments of Lillian Gilbreth ... Kulling deftly describes early twentieth-century social, physical, and technical conditions that presented challenges to productivity in both public and private settings, and she explains how Gilbreth's innovations improved conditions, creating context so that young readers can appreciate the extent of her contributions.... Student researchers might also enjoy other titles in the Great Idea series... - Booklist PRAISE FOR Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion The text is complemented beautifully with Benoit's artwork rendered in watercolours and gouache. The gentle wash of colours is soft and expressive ... captures the ambience of a time, long ago. Highly Recommended. - CM Magazine Renne Benoit's subtle gouache and watercolour illustrations are perfectly attuned.... - The Globe and Mail

<i>Clean Sweep!</i> describes how[FrankZamboni's]design resulted in the Zamboni machine (used all over the world today), which can move many cubic feet of ice in one pass, wash the surface, and apply fresh water all in 10 minutes. Benoit s gouache and watercolor illustrations accurately depict the changing time periods, and the rounded shapes, with warm, muted blues, grays, and browns, are pleasing to a child s eye. - <b>Starred Review, <i>School Library Journal</i></b> Kulling has created a book that entices, provides a sense of history and hints at the atmosphere of the time. Again she is partnered with an acclaimed illustrator, this time Renne Benoit whose artwork has the reader poring over the expressive, detailed pages. In muted shades of greys, blues and sepia, the watercolour and coloured pencil drawings are a perfect foil for the story with text and illustrations engaging the reader instantly .... -<b><i>CM Magazine</i></b> Frank s story provides insight into the realities of mid-twentieth-century American working life, when many children needed to leave school early to work on family farms, siblings saved up to send one family member to college, and observant entrepreneurs created new products and opened up new businesses .... The overriding message is perseverance .... - <b>Starred Review, </b><i><b>Booklist</b> Large, soft coloured illustrations set the scene for this biographical text .... Lyrically written, this appealing story should hold the readers interest and prove to be a valuable source of information for further study and discussion .... This excellent text should prove to be a popular addition to an elementary school library resource centre and is highly recommended. -<i><b>Resource Links</b></i></p>

Author Information

Monica Kulling is a poet who has published over forty books for children, including picture books, adaptations of classic novels, and biographies. Known for introducing biography for children who are just learning to read, she has written about Harriet Tubman, Henry Ford, Houdini, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Amelia Earhart, among others. Her award-winning Great Idea Series features biographies of inventors and their captivating inventions. She is also the author of Merci Mister Dash! and Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity. Visit her website at www.monicakulling.ca. Renne Benoit is an acclaimed illustrator who grew up in Nepean, Ontario. She studied graphic design, but soon realized that her passion was for illustrating children's books. Her titles have won the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, and Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award. Her award nominations include the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award, the Blue Spruce Award, and the Silver Birch Express Award. She is the illustrator of Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion by Jane Barclay. Visit her website at www.rennebenoit.ca.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available