(2) K-3 Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. Stories of inventions usually have a single starting point. But when it comes to the origin of the flying disc, more than one individual has a claim. Muirhead's text provides a few possible answers but focuses on the one individual with enough entrepreneurial gumption to create the product seen flying through the air at beaches and parks today. In 1937, California high schooler Fred Morrison happened to be tossing a flat popcorn lid with his girlfriend. Something about the way the lid flew grabbed hold of Morrison, and soon the lid was replaced by a better-flying cake pan. Muirhead describes the many iterations of ­Morrison's invention, from five-cent cake pans sold at the beach for a quarter to specially designed and molded plastics that led to the durable Frisbee we know today. Gustavson's gouache illustrations (a bit static-looking for capturing the excitement of a disc's gliding flight) allude to Norman Rockwell's Americana style while effectively situating readers in pre– and post–World War II settings. An author's note and sources are appended. Fans of Barton and Tate's Whoosh! (rev. 7/16) and McCarthy's Earmuffs for ­Everyone! will flip for this unique ­invention tale.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Avril. As the only kid on her block, Mabel can get lonely, especially when the grownups (her cartoonist dad, her baker neighbor, etc.) are too busy to play. Ultimately, her resourcefulness gets her out of the doldrums--and gets everyone to take notice. Readers will leave this story wanting more Mabel, shown as a diminutive, slightly unkempt tomboy in Avril's affectionately attentive gouache illustrations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram