Operation Cupcake - by Bambi Edlund (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Two enterprising mice, Ginger and Mac, are on a mission to bring home an especially aromatic vanilla cupcake with pink buttercream frosting. They have discovered that the amount of work you need to put into a job can almost always be decreased by using one of six simple machines: a lever, a wheel and axle, a pulley, an inclined plane, a wedge or a screw. Simple machines have only one or two parts that can usually be found around the house -- and they can make life a lot easier! Ginger and Mac make use of all six simple machines and manage to overcome all obstacles in their mission to secure a delicious frosted treat."--

Book Synopsis

In this hilarious story about a couple of clever mice on a quest for a tasty treat, readers get a "paws-on" introduction to six simple machines.

Ginger and Mac are pros at snatching up delicious tidbits and bringing them back to their cozy mousehole to eat. Today, though, their mission is complicated. Their target is an especially aromatic vanilla cupcake with pink buttercream frosting. Only, it's (a) too big for them to carry, (b) on a high counter within leaping distance of both the resident cat and dog and (c) under a heavy glass cake dome. Luckily, these mice love nothing more than solving a challenging problem (except maybe eating buttercream frosting!). Ginger is sure they can use simple machines to get the job done. But is she right?

Bambi Edlund has created a fun way to teach children about the basic concepts of mechanical physics. Ginger and Mac's adventure story is told in panels with dialogue boxes, while the science behind how simple machines work is explained throughout the story in fully illustrated sections that never interrupt the flow of the narrative. The result is a highly entertaining book that gives readers a clear and easy-to-understand overview of the six simple machines - inclined plane, lever, pulley, wheel and axle, screw, and wedge - and how they make life easier. It's sure to inspire readers to search for examples of simple machines that exist all around them. With loads of hands-on activities that can be done at home or in the classroom, this is an excellent choice for teaching elementary physics and engineering.

Review Quotes

... an excellent introduction to physics. The cartoon-style presentation of the adventures of Ginger and Mac is a perfect vehicle for drawing very young students into the topic without them realizing they are 'learning'. Highly Recommended.--CM Magazine

About the Author

Bambi Edlund is a self-taught artist, designer, needle-felted sculptor and stop motion animator, and has been the Art Director for Edible Vancouver since 2008. She illustrated the book What a Waste: Where Does Garbage Go?. Bambi lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a large Bernese mountain dog named Beatrix and a big fluffy cat named Midge.