Clean Sweep! Frank Zamboni's Ice Machine (Great Idea #8)

K-Gr 2--Repairmen whose "great ideas" were born of necessity are the subjects of the newest additions to this biography series. In the 1920s, Frank Zamboni opened a skating rink and needed to speed up the 90-minute task of resurfacing the ice to make it smooth. Clean Sweep! describes how his 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. To the Rescue! delineates how Garrett Morgan, a Kentucky-born son of slaves, developed a stronger sewing machine belt, a cream that prevented sewing machine needles from damaging cloth (and that also straightened hair), and a personal safety hood that would become the first gas mask used by firemen, underground workers, and World War I soldiers in the trenches. While Morgan faced discrimination and had to hire a white assistant to help market his product, his contributions to safety continue to be lauded by police and fire departments all around the country. Parkins uses his cartoonist skills in outlining these richly detailed illustrations, filled in with subdued gray and brown watercolors. The narratives are historically informative, and appended notes remind readers of the lasting impact of these men's great ideas. VERDICT Wonderful nonfiction narratives that can be used to highlight diverse innovators whom history texts may have overlooked.--Vicki Reutter, State University of New York at Cortland

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"Clean Sweep! describes how [Frank Zamboni'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." - Starred Review, School Library Journal

"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 Renné 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 ...." - CM Magazine

"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 ...." - Starred Review, Booklist

"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. " - Resource Links