Parents' Guide to

Rube Goldberg's Simple Normal Humdrum School Day

By Mandie Caroll, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Funny, STEM-inspired story about reaction contraptions.

Rube Goldberg's Simple Normal Humdrum School Day Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 4+

Based on 1 parent review

age 4+

A fun intro to Rube Goldberg with wonderful illustrations.

After a period of fascination with marble machines and dominoes, we found this book on sale at Barnes & Nobles. It's been a hit with my (then 4 year-old) 5 year-old, who has a love of tinkering and making.

This title has:

Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This funny book, with diagram-like text, cartoonish illustrations, and integrated STEM concepts, is likely to be popular with young readers who like to invent. Rube Goldberg's Simple Normal Humdrum School Day sure does manage to make the boring more interesting, with often hilarious results. See the toast sliding down a butter-soaked sling chair for Rube to catch on his way out the door or the goat whose head-bobbing while cashew-munching pokes holes in a sandbag that then sets a pulley system into motion as it lightens. Some readers may be baffled about why these inventions exist, but that's what makes them funny. The fact that there are no consequences for Rube's mess-making, sneaking into class late or not really doing his homework might prompt some discussion with young inventors about how they will be responsible for their creations. All in all, any book that could get kids to give STEM-based activities a shot is a good one to have on hand.

Book Details

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