Review by Booklist Review
Asking, "Why do something the simple way . . . if, instead, there is a catapult option?" Thimmesh delivers a gleefully nonlinear celebration of the iconic cartoonist's life and work, combined with an invitation to experience the joy of exploring principles of physics by actually assembling the sorts of "crazy contraptions" Goldberg envisioned. Along the way she explains in detail how levers, inclined planes, and six other simple machines amplify and redirect force, offering inspiration by pointing to real working examples of Rube Goldberg--style constructions made for music videos, TV shows, contests, or just for fun. Only Goldberg's highly improbable "Self Operating Napkin" is reproduced in full here, but echoing its visual style and goofy spirit, McCloskey spins off an intricately winding table of contents; precisely drawn views of those simple machines in various common forms, festooned with directional arrows; and figures of the cartoonist and a set of busy young makers in exuberant poses. Never have using trial and error, problem-solving, improvisation, and outside-the-box thinking to make wonderful gadgets--practical or otherwise--been more fun.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rube Goldberg (1883--1970) was born in an era defined by massive technological upheaval. But where others recoiled at the march of progress, Goldberg saw "the funny," writes Thimmesh in lucidly rendered short chapters. Employing his talent in cartooning and what he learned studying mining engineering, Goldberg created convoluted, comical contraptions with enduring cultural impact. Digitally colored ink drawings by McCloskey tip a hat to the subject's visual impishness (an opening how-to explains "The Simple Way to Read This Book"), and go on to chronicle his love of catapults and chain reactions, his brilliance in overcomplicating the principles of simple machines, and the delicious nerdiness of his step-by-step instructional captions, which "followed a narrative logic that made perfect sense in context (even if liberties were taken with the laws of nature and physics)." Young makers should find the final how-to chapter irresistible, "Because, really, why do something the simple way... if, instead, there is a catapult option?" Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 8--12. (May)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--6--This fun picture book biography of the puzzle icon doubles as inspiration for STEM-loving children to create their own Rube Goldberg machines. Thimmesh's engaging text explains who Goldberg was before providing real-life examples of famous Goldberg machines that spring to life with McCloskey's cartoon-style artwork. The chain reactions in these complicated machines are broken down into six simple machines: the lever, the wheel and axle, the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw, and the pulley. These physics examples are interspersed with more biographical information. While some of the science goes in-depth and is best suited to older elementary and even middle school students, the youngest of budding inventors will get a physics primer and enjoy the playful and colorful illustrations. Back matter includes a glossary; a lengthy list of sources; and lists of websites with videos of some contraptions, contests, and makerspaces. VERDICT An excellent physics primer and inspiration for young engineers who enjoy creating their own machines to perform simple tasks.--Carrie Voliva
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
At the start of this peculiar book, we are shown the six simple machines: lever, wheel and axle, inclined plane, wedge, screw, and pulley. Then we meet an impishly grinning boy, presumably Rube Goldberg (1883-1970), on the title page; next it's on to a convoluted table of contents over two spreads (a veritable Rube Goldberg machine of its own) before the narrative opens with the birth of Goldberg. Over the course of the book, readers learn more about him, his life, and his cartooning legacy -- it's those cartoons that inspired a variety of machines, the main purpose of which is to do something simple in a very complicated fashion. Along the way, an accessible (if lengthy) text covers the laws of physics, the six simple machines, and advice on how to build our own Rube Goldberg machines. McCloskey's illustrations are equally adept at conveying concepts and humor, complementing Thimmesh's text and serving as a bridge between narrative and expository information. A glossary and source notes are appended. Jonathan HuntJuly/August 2025 p.123 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Rube Goldberg's comics inspired contemporary designs. Goldberg (1883-1970) imagined how ordinary objects might do extraordinary things. He channeled his ideas into comics, and along the way, the name Rube Goldberg became an adjective: "doing something simple in a very complicated way that is not necessary." Take Goldberg's comic "Professor Butts and the Self-Operating Napkin"--a man takes a spoonful of soup, which triggers a catapult that eventually leads to a scythe cutting a string, allowing a napkin to wipe the man's mouth. Thimmesh's narrative encapsulates this over-the-top spirit. Her opening two spreads, hilariously illustrated by McCloskey, offer brilliantly convoluted suggestions for reading this book. A biographical section on Goldberg follows, along with several spreads examining the ways contemporary people have built three-dimensional Goldberg contraptions. Having connected the past to the present, Thimmesh makes a more important point: "Beneath the whimsy lies the science." Six simple machines that come up in Goldberg's comics--the lever, the wheel and axle, the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw, and the pulley--each get their own page of explanation and comic treatment. Guidance on building a Rube Goldberg machine is followed by amusing, thoughtful tips. Balancing humor, creativity, and science, Thimmesh has crafted a work Goldberg himself would approve of. McCloskey's exuberant cartoon illustrations make the science easy to grasp; human characters vary in skin tone. Funny, chock-full of science, and wonderfully complicated--like its subject matter. (afterword, glossary, sources)(Informational picture book. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
