Experiment #256

Ian is an inventor. He loves doing science experiments and building science things. When he decides to build a jet pack for his dog, he has no idea just how out of hand something like this can become. He should be a little concerned when he is all finished, and there are a few parts left over. But Ian straps his contraption onto his dog, Wilbur, and blasts it off. It is fast. Very, very fast! Maybe some of the leftover parts were the brakes. And maybe Ian should not have added the turbo blaster. There seems to be no directional control as Wilbur travels through the house and into the outdoors and the neighbor’s garden, wreaking havoc at every turn, before heading for space.

Author and illustrator Marty Kelley has written a terrific text, all shown through Ian’s science journal. The writing is clever, the story is so much fun, and the characters are perfect. If that weren’t enough, the illustrations are chock full of incredibly funny details that will have youngsters (and the adults who read to them) searching every page for extra giggles. This book has “Read it again, Mommy!” written all over it.