Did you know that the inventor of the erector set won an Olympic gold medal in the pole vault in 1908? Or that the Slinky was named by thumbing through a dictionary looking for a word that sounded like the motion of a toy? Or that (despite popular belief), Furbies do not listen for new words to add to their vocabularies (and therefore should never have been banned from government property)? Neither did I, until I read The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More.
The Way Toys Work is a book that explores the origins and inner workings of 50 popular toys. A guide on how to recreate simple versions of each toy is also included, as well as various science experiments that can be performed with them.
The book is divided into 50 chapters - one for each toy. Each chapter includes sections on history, function, dismantlement, and duplication.
My opinion of this book oscillated between excitement and disappointment. But as I eventually recognized the goal of the authors and who their target audience was, I became very satisfied with the book.
The Pros
What the book does especially well is describe the origins of each toy. I was a little shocked to discover how many popular toys were created by people with no toy-making experience. I found the histories genuinely interesting. I also enjoyed the in-depth explanations of how many of the toys worked, especially ones that involved scientific principles more complex than gravity and aerodynamics (the Dunking Bird is powered by methylene chloride vapor, for example).
The Cons
It is difficult to tell who would best benefit from reading this book. The brief histories and simple related crafts would best benefit school children, but the in-depth scientific analyses would frequently be over their heads and better suited for older geeks. Also, each chapter is disconnected and it is sometimes difficult to read the book for more than a few chapters. I found it best to leave the book sitting out and read a chapter or two when I was bored.
I eventually decided that this book has a place both in the classroom and at home. Children can benefit from the brief explanations of how their favorite toys work, and adults can benefit from the interesting backgrounds and inner workings of their childhood playthings.
I would certainly recommend this book to geeks of all ages.
The Stats
Title: The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More
Author(s): Ed and Woody Sobey
ISBN10: 1556527454
ISBN13: 978-1556527456
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Cost: $10.17 (from Amazon)
Format: Paperback, 178 pages
Published: May 1, 2008
Technorati Tags: books, book reviews, The Way Toys Work, The Way Toys Work: The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More, Ed Sobey, Woody Sobey
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