Franz's Phantasmagorical Machine: A Picture Book Biography, Author Interview with Beth Anderson, and Giveaway

Yes. Phantasmagoric is really a word. Go look it up! But, just make sure you come back here afterward. It's a hard word to pronounce. But the story is well worth the tongue-twisting effort. 

Beth Anderson's newest picture book is everything that Franz Gsellmann's fantastic world machine was: Creative! Imaginative! and full of Discovery! 

REVIEW

Franz was a very curious little boy. When the cuckoo clock in his parent's Austrian home chirped, Franz wondered, 

What makes the sound? He looked at the gears. What makes them move? He peeked behind the small door. What's going on in there?

Although the nudge to imagine, discover, and create grew louder every year, his family needed him on the farm. At a young age, he left school to help out. 

As an adult, he had an amazing dream about a fantastic, magical, phantasmagorical machine! ....Franz pondered and paced, sketched and crumpled, fussed and fretted. The machine he saw in his dream was unlike anything in the world.

When he heard about a unique and amazing structure at the 1958 world's fair in Belgium, he took a train to go see it. Franz was amazed by the Atomium and bought a small replica to take home- a reminder of how ordinary shapes and lights could become something extraordinary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomium

Experiencing that structure changed Franz's life. 

Franz listened to his imagination and started dreaming, planning, and building. 

He found treasures and trinkets at the local flea market. He explored junkyards for the right parts. Hula-hoops! Horseshoes! A hairdryer! Wagon heaping, he returned home with his haul. 

Although Franz wasn't sure what he was creating, he knew he'd figure it out eventually.

His neighbors bugged him. "What is going on in there?" They made fun of him. And when he plugged his machine in, the entire village lost electricity!

When newspaper reporters showed up to see the whirring machine, they were disappointed in what they saw. 

"Is it going to do something?" they asked.

Franz's hope fizzled. The machine was doing something. Something amazing.

After the reporters' and his neighbors' negative reactions, Franz withdrew to his attic. But in the middle of his despair, he heard excited voices outside his window.  

"One by one, Franz flipped the fifty-three switches and the machine awoke."

Spellbound, a little girl whispered, "What's going on in there?"

Franz's face crinkled into a smile as he watched the children's eyes twinkle with wonder. His phantasmagorical machine did have a purpose--and finally, Franz had figured it out.

 

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

CAROL: What was your inspiration behind this story?

BETH: Franz Gsellmann’s story was one of the first true stories that I tackled in my writing journey. I was smitten by the quirkiness of it and had great fun playing with all the sensory information and odd details. The heart of his story actually came through as questions - questions about expectations and the value of creative endeavors and processes, questions that I hope will linger and provide kids an opportunity to think past the usual. Though editors often ask for “quirky,” it’s a challenge to shape such a story, and also to find an editor who "gets it" and loves it enough to take it on. After several years and many revisions, I can see so clearly now how this story of one man’s creative endeavor is like a metaphor for us writers and so many other creatives. His story is an apt reflection of my story of writing his story! 

CAROL:  How did you stumble upon Franz Gsellmann?

BETH: I think I saw the machine on Atlas Obscura. I subscribe to newsfeeds from various sites, and every once in a while there's something that grabs my attention. 

CAROL: That just goes to show you how curiosity is an important tool for every writer! By the way, how did you come up with the title?

BETH: I spend a lot of time with an online thesaurus - ha! Always looking for the right words. I was gathering words like “fantastic” but the usual ones just weren’t enough. I stumbled on phantasmagorical, looked it up, and it was absolutely perfect for the machine. And who doesn’t love a great big crazy word like that? AND it’s made up of other pieces, just like his machine!

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

Without a doubt, this book stirs the curiosity of PreK-third-grade readers. If they're anything like my three grandkids (ages 2-7) they will also enjoy the story, as well as the alliteration, onomatopoeia, colorful illustrations by Caroline Hamel, and the counting image search inside Franz's World Machine, at the end of the book. End Pages also include an author's note, more information about Franz and his machine, and an invitation for readers to share their ideas about machines. 

After reading Franz's Phantasmagorical Machine to my grandkids, I showed them this youtube video which narrates Franz's life and shows a few clips of the machine working. 

My 4-year-old grandson, Luke, kept asking where the flower lights were--something he'd seen in the book. We went from this video to a few simple science videos about gears. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more--him or me!

Speaking of grandchildren...Here are the two grandsons studying the "Golf Ball machine" at The Franklin Institute. 

After watching the video Luke also wanted to know where the balls were in Franz's machine. Goes to show you that literacy happens all around us.

GIVEAWAY

Please leave a comment by July 23 with your name and email address if you are new to my blog. You can also send me an email if you prefer.  U.S. addresses only. If you are any type of educator (home, classroom, librarian) please let me know and I'll put your name in twice. 

Congratulations to Hewi Mason who won The Peach Pit Parade.

Ticktock, Banneker's Clock: A Picture Book Review and Author Interview

Congratulations to the following winners from last week's blog:

Deborah Allmand, Jana Leah, and Carol Nelson won BEHIND THESE HANDS.

Joyce Hostetter and Sandra Warren won RUN TO THE LIGHT.

Danielle Hammelef and Connie Saunders won THE LAST CHERRY BLOSSOM

It's amazing what you can learn through picture books. 

Ticktock Banneker's Clock is another engaging and informative picture book biography by Shana Keller. I recently featured Shana for her new book, Bread for Words about Frederick Douglass. Ticktock's text, along with illustrations by David C. Gardner, depict an important episode in Benjamin Banneker's remarkable life.

Born in 1731, Benjamin, was a self-taught free African American farmer, naturalist, author, and surveyor.  He corresponded with Thomas Jefferson on the topics of racial equality and slavery and authored several almanacs. One of Benjamin's accomplishments was carving a striking clock. The book was voted as one of the best STEM books in 2017.

REVIEW

The story opens with a beautiful drawing showing Ben working on his farm in the Chesapeake Bay.

After his harvesting work was done, he had "time to dream." Sometimes he played the flute or violin, but this day he was fascinated with the inner workings of a pocket watch.

He decided to make a time piece, one that could sit on a mantel or hang for a wall. He took the watch apart, studied the tiny gears, and made diagrams. He carved the clock pieces out of wood, but found that the pieces snapped and broke. 

So, he dried the wood--a time consuming process--and then re-carved the pieces. 

This time, the wheels, pins, and gears didn't break! He had a bell made and timed the clock with the sun. 

Neighbors from far and near came to see his invention; the clock chimed every hour on the dot for the next forty years.

Ticktock Banneker's Clock will make an excellent curriculum resource for grades K-3. Sorry, no giveaway this time, I'm adding it to my library. Instead, I asked Shana what led her to writing this book. Here's her answer. 


AUTHOR INTERVIEW

When my oldest daughter was in the first grade, she came home with a small paragraph about a man named Benjamin Banneker. Even though I had majored in African American history in college, I didn’t recall seeing his name before and suddenly, I was on this path of research that led from one surprise to another. 

After reading everything I could find online and at the library, I visited the Benjamin Banneker Historic Park and Museum in Catonsville, Maryland. I met with Justine Schaeffer the director at the time and explained my interest. We discussed all things Banneker. I toured his lands which is where the park and museum are located. I saw his recreated cabin (Banneker’s burnt down days after his death). And, I met with some of Benjamin’s collateral descendants - children of his nieces and nephews. I also met with a griot, a storyteller, who was familiar with Banneker’s history. 

I discovered many intriguing things about Benjamin Banneker. He was a landowner. He was never enslaved and mostly self-taught. He was well respected in his community and often relied upon to calculate math problems. He wrote almanacs. He corresponded with Thomas Jefferson about civil rights. He was an astronomer. He helped survey the land where the nation’s capital would stand. And of course, he built a striking clock using a pocket watch as his guide. Given all of his accomplishments, I realized there was a lot to choose from and focus on. The achievement that struck me the most was how he built his clock. Benjamin’s goal was to never stop learning, and so is mine!