Encyclopedia of Ordinary Things

Who said ordinariness is boring? This book shows ordinary things, along with their origins and inventors, in a new light. Come explore their secrets!

They're all around us. We use them daily, pass them by, and it never occurs to us to stop and think about where they came from. What, you ask? The most ordinary things in the world, of course! Shoes, umbrellas, toothbrushes, toothpicks, socks, dolls, and so on and so forth. How did they come to be? Who invented them, how did they develop and change over time?

If you'd like to know the answer to these questions, to peek behind the curtain that drapes the most ordinary stuff in mystery, then definitely read on and learn the story of common things.

The perfect little book to answer the most asked question: "Why?" Every parent knows that children don't stop asking this question after they learned it. All of us were probably stuck at one point trying to answer. This encyclopedia has answers to a bunch of questions related to objects in our everyday life, such as beds, shoes, toilets, toothbrushes, toys, umbrellas, and so many more. The illustrations are fun and engaging. The visual chronology showing how things changed throughout the centuries is perfect for curious little minds. Amusing little facts are sprinkled all over the encyclopedia making it fun to read and understand. What's even better is that you'll learn together with your child. I was today-years-old when I found out the high-fashion of toys in Ancient Egypt were dolls made to resemble mummies. ―Diana Livesay, reviewer

Vorwort

Marketing activities held by Publisher Spotlight:

• Pitch reviews in Publishers Weekly, SLJ, Booklist, Kirkus, Shelf Awareness, Horn Book
• Mail to long and short lead media contacts
• Pitch reviews to appropriate blogs and websites
• Checklist for online journals, influencers, bloggers, review centers
• Social media content, where appropriate: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok
• Included in themed Pinterest boards
• TLA, NSTA, ALA (and other shows, as appropriate)

• Presentations to library selector groups in Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington D.C.

  Autorentext

  Stepanka Sekaninovaused to work as a TV reporter and in the production of children’s programs. Now she is a writer and a editor-in-chief, living in the Czech Republic. 
 Eva Chupikova, a Czech author and illustrator, focuses on bringing history and culture to life for children. She has been nominated several times for the prestigious Czech IBBY Golden Ribbon Award.

  Leseprobe
  SHOES Have you ever had the splinteriest of all splinters stuck in your foot? Ouch, owie … If you have, then you know it hurts like hell. Just take a stroll around the garden as you are – with bare feet. Picture it: dewy grass, the rising sun. One wants to enjoy the nature with all their senses but oh, oh! Their pampered feet immediately start protesting: “Help! What are you doing to us, you silly little human? The pebbles are sharp, the twigs prickly, and the grass tickles. Put on your shoes, right now! Phew, what a relief. Hail to the genius who in¬vented shoes.” Well, yeah, but who was it? And what’s the story of shoes, anyway?

The first shoe makers

Which material was used to make shoes in prehistoric times? That's a no-brainer! Some bast fibre, bamboo, or palm leaves were more than enough to sew a pair of sandals. If you wanted sturdier footwear, you needed leather or fur.

Why bears, exactly?

The soles of some prehistoric shoes were made from bearskin. Why bear skin when it's thinner than cowhide and lets more water through? The answer is simple. Our ancestors believed that bear skin would give them the strength of this feared animal and protect them.

The Ice Age is coming

Even our prehistoric ancestors used to wear shoes. That’s because back then, they travelled from the warm Africa all the way up North. Unaccustomed to the cold, they immediately went about inventing clothing which would allow them to survive the local winter. And since freezing weather didn’t do any good to one’s feet, either, they came up with the first shoes to wear with their coats. The first “shoes” ever found were made in the Stone Age and boast the impressive 7800 years of age.

Keep an eye on my shoes

Prehistoric times were followed by the antiquity – and by masters of the shoemaking craft as well. These men could weave sandals from tiny strips, but also sew hard low shoes or rainproof high boots. In Egypt, the job was pretty easy since the arid hot climate required simple shoes – leather sandals that looked like the flip-flops we love today. They were worn mostly by rich men, and also the Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh grew tired of wearing shoes, he entrusted them to one of his servants, a so-called sandal-bearer.

Inhalt
Shoes
Skates
Umbrellas
Glasses
Dolls
Perfume
Horse toys
Toilets
Toothbrushes
Beds
Tights