WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Almost Underwear by Jonathan Roth
ABOUT THE BOOK
One day in 1903 the Wright brothers entered a department store in Ohio to buy a bolt of fabric. The plain muslin cloth was most often used to make underwear. As it happens, the Wright brothers were about to wrap the simple cloth around the ribs of a mechanical ‘wing’ and dramatically change the world. Sixty-six years later, in 1969, Neil Armstrong took a big leap onto the moon. With him was a swatch of the exact fabric the bicycle mechanics had purchased in 1903. Fifty-two years after that, in 2021, a remote-controlled car-sized explorer landed on Mars. Attached to the underside of a cable was a tiny piece of very old cloth—cloth that had almost become underwear. Almost Underwear is the story of that incredible piece of fabric, and the historic ‘firsts’ it stitches together.
REVIEW
Combining cartoonlike illustrations with photographs and facts, Roth presents readers with the story of a piece of cloth. Originally intended to be used to make undergarments, the cloth was purchased by Oliver and Wilbur Wright to be used as the wings on their glider--the Wright Flyer. The cloth had the privilege of being a part of the first airplane flight. Later the cloth ended up in a museum before a piece was taken to the moon by Neil Armstrong in `969. That wasn't the end of it either, another piece of the muslin cloth went to Mars with the Perseverance in 2020. Not only is this story an interesting introduction to how far humankind has come when it comes to flight but it also adds an entertaining look at the power of connection and memory. The back matter includes an author's note, glossary of Perseverance instruments, and a selected Bibliography. A delightful book perfect for inspiring children by combining history and science into an intriguing tale. The combination of photographs with Roth's illustrations works well and makes for some eye-catching and discussion-worthy moments. Putting the Wright Brothers on Mars as the Ingenuity helicopter takes off seems appropriate as one contemplates how far humans have come and how far there still is to go in the world of flight. Highly recommended.
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