11 Experiments That Failed

Hypothesis: Ketchup and snow are the only food groups a kid needs.

Written by Jenny Offill, Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

In this book of “household experiments,” a girl utilizes the scientific method to put her many inventive ideas to the test with hilarious results. Without a traditional narrative, the book is formatted as a notebook containing a series of questions and hypotheses, each with a prescribed process for testing and the young scientist’s observational notes and conclusions. We follow the budding researcher as she tries the merits of such hypotheses as “a piece of bologna will fly like a Frisbee,” “dogs like everything,” and “yodeling makes time go faster.” The yodeling experiment is performed in the car with her family during a traffic jam. The flying bologna experiment is performed in the school lunch room by disassembling a sandwich. The illustrations are extremely unique and effective: collages of notebook sketches, photos, textbook diagrams, graphs, and more. This book is an excellent way to illustrate the scientific method in effect for young students, while also making them laugh and inspiring more mischievous scientific exploration. I highly recommend this book for elementary school libraries.

Review by Joshua Whiting, GSD Library Media Program
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 2-6

Click here to see some sample page spreads!

11 Experiments That Failed
Written by Jenny Offill, Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Schwartz & Wade Books
40 pages
Release Date: September 27, 2011
ISBN: 9780375847622 (hardcover)