My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook: 50 Awesome Drawing Activities for Young Inventors
Written by Lisa Regan
Illustrated by Andrew Rae
Lawrence King Publishing    9/29/2015
978-1-78067-611-1
128 pages     Ages 8+

“DO YOU HAVE SOME CRAZY INVENTIONS UP YOUR SLEEVE?!

“This new doodle book will speak to the imaginative and to future ‘Shark Tank’ contestants everywhere. Illustrated with actual inventions—most of them wacky—the book is filled with fun facts and guided pages to encourage young minds to reach for the sky. [press release]

“Draw your amazing creations, inspired by some of the weirdest and most fantastic inventions ever . . . Grab your lab coat and your pens and let’s get inventing!” [back cover]

Review
My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook dares kids to dream and dream big. This unusual “doodle book” is much more than that simple description implies. Inside the 128 pages, you’ll find some of the craziest real inventions ever created. Do you think a glue gun filled with a great pick-me-up power snack, rather than glue, would be a far better idea? Forget it. Already done. This is not to say all of the inventions were a success.

With inspiring inventions such as M&M’s (invented during the Spanish Civil War), SpaceShipOne (a privately funded “space plane,” circa 2004), and the Philip Stein Sleep Bracelet (used to promote melatonin production and better sleep), young inventors are encouraged to reach for their imaginations. Included in My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook are pages and pages of prompts to help kids move forward and have a great time.

“How would you make a boat fly?”
“Invent something that uses dinosaurs as your inspiration.”
“What would you send into space and how would it get back down.”
(What are) “The coolest crayons you can imagine.”

Each spread contains numerous illustrations of real and possible inventions. Do you know which are real and which are not?* (Comment in paragraphs mine and probably won’t help.)

1. A mind-reading machine; (perfect spy gear).
2. A dress that inflates into a chair; (for those long tiresome walks).
3. Metamaterials that bend light around objects so they become invisible; (you didn’t see it here).
4. Inflatable floats to attach to your bike for riding on water; (swimsuit optional).

My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook can get kids’—or adults’—imaginations working in high gear. Lisa Regan has given plenty of prompts, inspiration, and genuine encouragement to go along with Andrew Rae’s incredible images of inventions real and possible. There is a section on patents, a patent application (for crazy inventions), and a patent certificate (suitable for framing). Oh, and lots of room for your own inventive drawings, diagrams, notes, and nonsense.

I love My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook. It is perfect for homeschooling; gives readers a look at possibly overlooked area of invention history; and kids will enjoy marking up the pages with their own ideas. My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook encourages kids to use their imaginations and helps them think critically as they work out their inventions. The actual book is beautifully crafted, with thick pages ready to take the beating of a repeated eraser or the enthusiastic pressure of a kid with a pen, pencil, marker, or crayon in hand.

My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook is uniquely inspiring, creatively imaginative, and tons of fun (I think those are the needed buzzwords). Kids and adults will immensely enjoy reading the text and then clamoring their brains for a crazy—and maybe great—invention. Shark Tank anyone.

*Real: Nos. 2 and 4
.Fake: Nos. 1 and 3 (though #3 is presently being attempted)

TRAILER
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MY CRAZY INVENTIONS SKETCHBOOK: 50 AWESOME DRAWING ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG INVENTORS. Text copyright © 2015 by Lisa Regan. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Andrew Rae. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Lawrence King Publishing, San Francisco, CA.

Amazon—Book Depository—Indie Books—Lawrence King.

Find My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook on Goodreads HERE.

Lisa Regan:  (If you know Ms. Regan’s website url, please let me know. Thanks!)
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Andrew Rae:  http://www.andrewrae.org.uk/
Follow on Twitter          @DrewRae

Lawrence King Publishing:  http://www.laurenceking.com/
Follow on Twitter          @LaurenceKingPub

MY CRAZY INVENTIONS SKETCHBOOK. Illustrations © 2015 by Andrew Rae. Used by permission of Lawrence King Publishing.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

Full Disclosure: My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook: 50 Awesome Drawing Activities for Young Inventors by Lisa Regan & Andrew Rae, and received from Lawrence King Publishing, is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”