Everything Started Somewhere!
FIRSTS is reviewed by mom, artist, author and regular contributor, Debbie Glade.
I simply cannot get enough information about the origins of people, places and things. And if you have a curious child who asks you a lot of questions about the first time an event took place or the first time a product was used or any other milestone in history, this is the perfect book. After you read Firsts, you won’t be surprised to learn that the author, Wilson Casey, is cited in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest running radio trivia broadcast at 30 hours.
The 220-page book is organized alphabetically, and you will find short paragraphs on every subject from Animated Cartoons to the Zipper, and everything in between. How about these fascinating firsts? High Heel shoes were first worn in Crete by the Minoans around 2100 BC. Popsicles were the result of an accident in 1905 when a boy left a fruit drink with a stirring stick in it outside at night only to freeze. And the very first x-ray dates as far back as 1895. I am partial to the facts about the first dental floss created by a dentist in 1819, since I have a slight obsessive compulsion with brushing and flossing myself. (Okay, maybe more that just slight, like after every single time I eat.)
The back of the book has a fabulous index of topics, and I imagine older kids can use this book as a reference for a variety of research papers. But the best thing about Firsts is that every member of the family will love reading it.
Debbie Glade, today’s guest reviewer, is the author, illustrator and voice talent of the award-winning children’s picture book The Travel Adventures of Lilly P Badilly: Costa Rica, published by Smart Poodle Publishing. She visits South Florida schools with her reading, writing and geography programs. For years, Debbie was a travel writer for luxury cruise lines. She writes parenting articles for various websites and is the Geography Awareness Editor for WanderingEducators.com. She blogs daily at smartpoodlepublishing.com.