Spic-And-Span: Lillian Gilbreth's Wonder Kitchen by Monica Kulling

 How did I not know about Lillian Gilbreth when the results of her work affect much of my  waking hours.  From the layout of my kitchen,  to a number of appliances that I regularly use, she has made my life easier and undoubtedly safer.  Her work on improving the ease and efficiency of assembly lines made the work easier, faster and safer for employees.

Lillian didn't just use her engineering and psychology skills in her job, but she employed them in running her household.  With eleven children, she found it the only way to mange.

Author Monica Kulling has brought Lillian Gilbreth to life for me. She has presented a lot of information in bite size pieces that will appeal to the school age readers. I think that this book would most appeal to ages 8 - 12. It will also be of interest to adult readers, though it might leave them wanting to know more detail about Lillian and her works.  I also recommend it to all young women considering a career in engineering.

This book, along with the others in the series,  would be a great addition to any classroom library.  Teachers could use it as a launching point for several discussions including: what do engineers do, types of jobs available, roles of women in the workplace, what in your house would you change to make life better...

The book is fully illustrated by David Parkins.  His artwork depicts life in the early 1900's,  at the time when Lillian was working. 

This is the first selection in the 2015 Tundra Reading Club.  Details about the club can be found on the Talking with Tundra blog.

Thanks to Tundra for my review copy and for use of the cover image.