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Going Up!

Elisha Otis's Trip to the Top

Part of Great Idea Series

Author Monica Kulling
Illustrated by David Parkins
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Paperback
$7.99 US
Tundra | Tundra Books
8.13"W x 10.05"H x 0.18"D   | 6 oz | 48 per carton
On sale Apr 08, 2014 | 32 Pages | 978-1-77049-516-6
Age 5-8 years | Grades K-3
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 In 1818, seven-year-old Elisha was fascinated by farm machinery. As a young man, he tried a variety of ways to make a living, but nothing fired his imagination more than the job he found in a bed-frame factory. Soon he invented a machine that made frames four times faster than ever before. In 1852, while overseeing the construction of a new factory, he had to find a way to move heavy machinery to the second floor. He didn't trust the hoisting platform, so he invented a safety brake. It was so successful that rather than lift machine parts, Elisha decided to build "people-hoisting machines." In 1857, Elisha Otis installed his first successful passenger elevator in a five-storey department store in New York City. Before Elisha's invention, buildings were never higher than six stories. At last it was possible to build skyscrapers!

  “… In his realistic, fine-lined illustrations, Parkins … captures the narrative’s broad, high-energy tone in images of the inventor with eyes bulging, mouth wide open and arms flung out wildly during various Eureka! moments….”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Kulling gives lesser-known inventor Elisha Otis a lift in this latest entry into the Great Idea series…. [T]his picture-book biography gives a lively account of Otis’ world-changing invention. Caricatured expressions set against detailed backdrops add playfulness to the informative text.”
—Booklist
© Nancy Ennis
Monica Kulling was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She received a BA in creative writing from the University of Victoria. Monica is the author of over 50 books for children, including the popular Great Idea series, stories of inventors. The third book in the series, In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up, was chosen as a Once Upon a World Children's Book Award Honor Book by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The sixth book in the series, Spic-and-Span! Lillian Gilbreth's Wonder Kitchen won the North Dakota Library Association 2016 Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award in the nonfiction category. Monica Kulling lives in Toronto, Canada. View titles by Monica Kulling
Tundra’s David Parkins is the award-winning illustrator of over fifty children’s books. He began his career at Dyfed College of Art in Wales, studying wildlife illustration. He then went to Lincoln College of Art for three years, and has been a freelance illustrator since his graduation in 1979. He spent several years at the beginning of his career producing illustrations for educational publishers, and has earned most of his keep drawing for the British cartoon, The Beano. David Parkins lives in England with his wife and nine-year-old daughter. View titles by David Parkins

About

 In 1818, seven-year-old Elisha was fascinated by farm machinery. As a young man, he tried a variety of ways to make a living, but nothing fired his imagination more than the job he found in a bed-frame factory. Soon he invented a machine that made frames four times faster than ever before. In 1852, while overseeing the construction of a new factory, he had to find a way to move heavy machinery to the second floor. He didn't trust the hoisting platform, so he invented a safety brake. It was so successful that rather than lift machine parts, Elisha decided to build "people-hoisting machines." In 1857, Elisha Otis installed his first successful passenger elevator in a five-storey department store in New York City. Before Elisha's invention, buildings were never higher than six stories. At last it was possible to build skyscrapers!

Praise

  “… In his realistic, fine-lined illustrations, Parkins … captures the narrative’s broad, high-energy tone in images of the inventor with eyes bulging, mouth wide open and arms flung out wildly during various Eureka! moments….”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Kulling gives lesser-known inventor Elisha Otis a lift in this latest entry into the Great Idea series…. [T]his picture-book biography gives a lively account of Otis’ world-changing invention. Caricatured expressions set against detailed backdrops add playfulness to the informative text.”
—Booklist

Author

© Nancy Ennis
Monica Kulling was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She received a BA in creative writing from the University of Victoria. Monica is the author of over 50 books for children, including the popular Great Idea series, stories of inventors. The third book in the series, In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up, was chosen as a Once Upon a World Children's Book Award Honor Book by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The sixth book in the series, Spic-and-Span! Lillian Gilbreth's Wonder Kitchen won the North Dakota Library Association 2016 Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award in the nonfiction category. Monica Kulling lives in Toronto, Canada. View titles by Monica Kulling
Tundra’s David Parkins is the award-winning illustrator of over fifty children’s books. He began his career at Dyfed College of Art in Wales, studying wildlife illustration. He then went to Lincoln College of Art for three years, and has been a freelance illustrator since his graduation in 1979. He spent several years at the beginning of his career producing illustrations for educational publishers, and has earned most of his keep drawing for the British cartoon, The Beano. David Parkins lives in England with his wife and nine-year-old daughter. View titles by David Parkins

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