Donald J. Sobol’s Encyclopedia Brown Books Taught Young Readers To Solve Mysteries

Today's the birthday of a mystery author known to millions of kids, Donald J Sobol. He wrote the Encyclopedia Brown series, about a 10 year old detective who solved cases because he knew, as his nickname suggested, all sorts of unusual and obscure facts in the era way before the internet.

By |2024-12-10T07:50:27-05:00October 4, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

There’s A New Way To Recycle The Materials We Need For High-Tech Batteries

As automakers move toward all-electric vehicles, we're going to need a lot more batteries, only there are difficulties in getting some of the key elements. A startup called Nth cycle may have a way to help. Plus: meet a young reader who really knows how to multitask.

By |2024-12-08T16:40:36-05:00April 16, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Fuel Cells Are Strong To The Finish, When They’re Powered By Spinach

Fuel cells need a catalyst for an important reaction, and a team at American University has found that spinach may be the best raw material for a catalyst we've found yet.

By |2024-12-02T10:32:56-05:00November 12, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Never Skip The Dedication Page Of A Book, They Can Get Wild

If you're taking part in National Novel Writing Month, then here's a tip: don't forget the dedication page. They can be full of surprises, as we discovered in quite a few books.

By |2024-12-02T10:16:38-05:00November 2, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Ruth Faison Shaw Is The Founding Mother Of Fingerpaint

Today is the birthday of Ruth Faison Shaw, an art teacher who spotted a kid smearing iodine on the school walls and saw a way kids could express themselves.

By |2024-12-16T06:39:12-05:00October 15, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

How The Baby Sitters Club Became The Book Series All The 80s Kids Were Reading

Netflix is about to release a show based on The Baby-Sitters Club I used to re-shelve all the time at the public library where I worked. Here's the story of how the series came to life.

A Big-Time Librarian Kept “Goodnight Moon” Off The Shelves For 25 Years

Despite being one of the most iconic children’s books of its time, the New York Public Library didn’t have a copy of “Goodnight Moon” for decades, because an influential librarian didn’t like it.

By |2024-12-15T15:48:50-05:00January 14, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |
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