Whirligigs

A Bank Street Best Book 2025
A NSTA-CBC Best STEM Book
2025 Kansas NEA Reading Circle List

“Weatherford conveys the joyful obsession and dedication that fueled Simpson’s creative endeavors. Fotheringham’s cheerful, cartoonish illustrations capture the energy of Simpson’s work… This illuminating biography of a mechanic-turned-folk-artist brings his whirligigs to clanking, stirring life.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Offering an opportunity to appreciate the boundlessness of human creativity, [Whirligigs] is a story about a figure who refused to call himself an artist, saying what mattered most was to ‘wake up every day and have to do something with my hands.’” —Publishers Weekly

“The length of the text makes it an entertaining story for even young children, and the illustrations are colorful and whimsical. A wonderful addition to any library collection.” —School Library Journal

“A whirligig, a wind-powered contraption often made out of random objects, is a thing of wonder… This engaging story moves along at a good clip, and the whimsical illustrations in bright primary colors effectively evoke energy and movement. This makes a great addition for STEAM collections”.—Booklist

“At the opening of this picture-book biography, a tangle of colors and shapes and a burst of visual onomatopoeia (‘WHIRR, CREEEAK. Plink, plink’) introduce readers to the plucky machinist and inventor Vollis Simpson (1919–2013) and his ‘whirligigs’… color and sound (“Whistle, Whir, BOING, BOING”) keep the story energetic and busy to match the spirit of its subject, and the illustrations become ever more fanciful as Simpson’s windmill farm grows. Back matter includes an author’s note, a bibliography, and the lyrics to ‘Vollis Simpson’s Windmill Farm’ (to the tune of ‘Old MacDonald).”—The Horn Book

“Kids will love reading about (Vollis Simpson), and the book is full of color and excitement for his creations. The digital art puts the giant, boldly colored contraptions front and center and the descriptive text incorporates onomatopoeia and even a song. An author’s note, bibliography and photos augment the text. This would be a fun read aloud for early grade art classes. Kids will learn that creativity can happen at any age and with any materials.”—Youth Services Book Review