The Invention Hunters Discover How Sound Works

“Learn about machines the fun way! The Magic School Bus meets The Way Things Work in this kid-friendly guide to understanding the basics of simple machines, perfect for budding engineers.”

Author/Illustrator: Korwin Briggs | Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

I’d been playing a great turn-based strategy game called Renowned Explorers: International Society, and I started thinking how funny it’d be if, like, the world’s dumbest treasure hunter left behind a gold idol because he’d discovered a mysterious old toaster. And then I thought how much 2nd-grade-me would have liked a book where a kid gets to teach dumb adults how a toaster actually works.

I worked out most of the pitch on the subway that night, and after a month of sketches and another month of revisions based on very insightful notes from one interested editor, it was accepted!

My favorite part of this specific book is the toilet. Honestly, everyone’s favorite part of this book is the toilet.

You know, I hadn’t actually connected the dots until just now, but I think this book sort of put my whole career in the toilet, in the sense that an awful lot of my jobs post-Invention-Hunters have involved drawing toilets, or poo, or underpants, or all of the above.