HOWTOONS

Two MIT grads (one a 2007 MacArthur fellow) and a veteran comics artist combine talents to present a fresh and funny set of different but doable projects and activities with mostly household materials. Depicted in brightly colored, hyper-energetic cartoon art and linked by a story arc that takes wisecracking preteen siblings Tuck and Celine from organizing a basement work area to constructing a challenging soda-bottle rocket powered by compressed air, the roster of projects also includes a freezer-bag ice-cream maker, safety goggles, a wonderfully promising mini-marshmallow shooter made from PVC pipe and at least a dozen more. Along with plenty of safety cautions, the authors slip in simple diagrams, plus all sorts of useful side information, such as galleries of kinds of saws and pliers, handy knots and a system of hand-counting that’s “digital” in both senses. Earnest beneath the surface but totally free of dorkiness, this is perfectly tuned to inspire creativity as well as promote good work habits in budding inventors and mechanical engineers alike. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)