Transformed: How Everyday Things Are Made by Bill Slavin

Transformed: How Everyday Things Are Made, by Bill Slavin, reviewed by Kathy Thornhill, Children’s Librarian,Zauel Memorial Library
(Kids Can, 2005, $24.95, 160 pages) Grade 4th-up

Have you ever wondered how they get the “pea” into whistles? How do the stripes get into the toothpaste? Why is bubblegum pink? How do they make blue jeans, peanut butter, potato chips, stick-on bandaids? Did you know there are “earwax” and “dirt” jellybean flavors? Transformed looks at over 60 familiar things. Each two-page spread outlines and illustrates the steps used in constructing each item. This is a nifty resource for those who are always wondering how things are made, as well as a browsing book for the casually curious.