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rachelmanija Oct. 28th, 2019 10:42 am)
rachelmanija Oct. 28th, 2019 10:42 am)A 1969 children’s book about three kids and an absent-minded scientist having scientific adventures. In this case, they (plus the excitable terrier one of them is dog-sitting) fall into Professor Bulfinch’s smallifying machine.
I loved this series as a kid and the ones I’ve re-read have held up very well. They have accurate science presented in a fun way, they’re funny, they have a lot of sense of wonder, and while they’re obviously set in a particular time, they’re otherwise not particularly dated.
This book, for instance, has exactly one line about “girls are a nuisance except Irene who’s great,” but that is literally it as far as sexism is concerned; while Irene is the only girl, she is indeed great and is never looked down on, sneered at, stereotyped, or left out of the action. Which is a whole lot better on that front than a lot of current media.
The Smallifying Machine is unsurprisingly one of my favorites of the Danny Dunn books. It’s chock-full of sense of wonder, in this case exploring the world while you’re teeny-tiny. Far from many books that don’t really explore the premise, despite its very short length this book has the kids riding butterflies, eating nectar, whacking a pool of water with a tiny nail to get some droplets to drink (this is the book that taught me about surface tension, in a way that ensured that I’d remember it), being knocked off their feet by an earthwormquake, and much more. It’s entirely delightful.
Also, I think Irene should be introduced to Adrian Tchaikovsky. Here she is explaining the tarantula wasp (which, thankfully, they do NOT meet in their adventures):
“Ugh,” said Joe. “How grisly.”
“It isn’t!” Irene said, warmly. “Not any more than people wanting to eat fresh meat. It’s wonderful. You just think about it. The wasp will never see those babies of hers. [more horrifying description] Long after she’s dead, her children are all taken care of.”
“That’s the most touching story I ever heard,” said Joe. “I’m going to write a poem about it. I think I’ll call it M is for the Million Spiders You Gave Me.”
Now available on Kindle for $3.99: Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine
I loved this series as a kid and the ones I’ve re-read have held up very well. They have accurate science presented in a fun way, they’re funny, they have a lot of sense of wonder, and while they’re obviously set in a particular time, they’re otherwise not particularly dated.
This book, for instance, has exactly one line about “girls are a nuisance except Irene who’s great,” but that is literally it as far as sexism is concerned; while Irene is the only girl, she is indeed great and is never looked down on, sneered at, stereotyped, or left out of the action. Which is a whole lot better on that front than a lot of current media.
The Smallifying Machine is unsurprisingly one of my favorites of the Danny Dunn books. It’s chock-full of sense of wonder, in this case exploring the world while you’re teeny-tiny. Far from many books that don’t really explore the premise, despite its very short length this book has the kids riding butterflies, eating nectar, whacking a pool of water with a tiny nail to get some droplets to drink (this is the book that taught me about surface tension, in a way that ensured that I’d remember it), being knocked off their feet by an earthwormquake, and much more. It’s entirely delightful.
Also, I think Irene should be introduced to Adrian Tchaikovsky. Here she is explaining the tarantula wasp (which, thankfully, they do NOT meet in their adventures):
“Ugh,” said Joe. “How grisly.”
“It isn’t!” Irene said, warmly. “Not any more than people wanting to eat fresh meat. It’s wonderful. You just think about it. The wasp will never see those babies of hers. [more horrifying description] Long after she’s dead, her children are all taken care of.”
“That’s the most touching story I ever heard,” said Joe. “I’m going to write a poem about it. I think I’ll call it M is for the Million Spiders You Gave Me.”
Now available on Kindle for $3.99: Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine
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Of course, it was also because I kept forgetting to look for them. So I thank you for the reminder, as well.
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Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin knew where it's AT.
I also have this mental image of Irene excitedly explaining the gruesome life cycle of the tarantula wasp, enraptured by the elegant economy with which it occupies its ecological niche, genuinely baffled by the fact that other people see this as horrifying rather than beautiful in its very neatness. Clearly a girl who is going to grow up to be an entomologist.
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It was my favorite. I loved it.
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