Whirligigs
The Wondrous Windmills of Vollis Simpson's Imagination
Format:
Available from:
Published by Calkins Creek (2024-11-12)
Take a journey through the creative process that led folk artist Vollis Simpson to create his wonderful and whimsical wind-powered whirligigs and more in this STEAM/STEM picture book.
Vollis Simpson was a man with a curious mind—always eager to know how things worked and how to fix them. Growing up on a farm in North Carolina, he loved to tinker with machines. And when he served in the Army Air Corps during WWII, Vollis kept right on tinkering. His ingenuity allowed him to build things no one would have thought to create from scraps—a washing machine out of airplane parts and a motorcycle out of a bike.
After the war, his passion for metal creations picked up speed—turning into a whirlwind of windmills as far as the eye could see. Luckily, Vollis’s fanciful and colorful windmills have been preserved at a park in Wilson, NC, where visitors can behold his magnificent and towering creations forever whizzing in the air.
Vollis Simpson was a man with a curious mind—always eager to know how things worked and how to fix them. Growing up on a farm in North Carolina, he loved to tinker with machines. And when he served in the Army Air Corps during WWII, Vollis kept right on tinkering. His ingenuity allowed him to build things no one would have thought to create from scraps—a washing machine out of airplane parts and a motorcycle out of a bike.
After the war, his passion for metal creations picked up speed—turning into a whirlwind of windmills as far as the eye could see. Luckily, Vollis’s fanciful and colorful windmills have been preserved at a park in Wilson, NC, where visitors can behold his magnificent and towering creations forever whizzing in the air.
Book Details
Format:
Hardcover
Price:
18.99 USD / 24.99 CAD
Published: 2024-11-12
ISBN: 9781662680410
Imprint:
Calkins Creek
Page Count: 32
Trim Size: 9 x 11
Grades:
Grades 2-5
Ages:
7-10 years
“Weatherford conveys the joyful obsession and dedication that fueled Simpson’s creative endeavors. Fotheringham’s cheerful, cartoonish illustrations capture the energy of Simpson’s work… This illuminating biography of a mechanic-turned-folk-artist brings his whirligigs to clanking, stirring life.”—Kirkus Reviews
"Offering an opportunity to appreciate the boundlessness of human creativity, [Whirligigs] is a story about a figure who refused to call himself an artist, saying what mattered most was to “wake up every day and have to do something with my hands.” —Publishers Weekly
"The length of the text makes it an entertaining story for even young children, and the illustrations are colorful and whimsical. A wonderful addition to any library collection." —School Library Journal
