The Amazing Scientific Adventures of Harvy, a Brilliant Cane
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
In the beginning PG took Harvy only on short trips, mostly around the neighborhood especially when he anticipated stairs. PG did not dread stairs, but he certainly tried to avoid them, like the stairs going up and down the New York City subway. If he dropped Harvy on a steep flight of stairs it would be embarrassing to have to ask a complete stranger to pick up a cane at the bottom of the stairs. It is one thing to help a child on the stairs, but another to help a cane. One of the nicest things about Harvy is that you don’t have to feed a cane. There was no shopping or cooking for a cane. PG usually did not eat with Harvy at his side anyway. PG could easily trip if he tried walking and eating at the same time. Young people can walk and talk on their cell phones at the same time but you seldom see this with grandpas and grandmas. Sleeping was another matter. If you were being bumped and thumped on the sidewalk all day you can imagine how sore Harvy felt at night. PG found that it was not comfortable to sleep with a cane. A cane is not nearly as soft as a pillow. You can put a dog in a cage but you would never think of putting a cane in a cage so Harvy often slept between the two front seats of PG’s car if they had gone together on a long car ride. However, if Harvy and PG were in the middle of a conversation PG would take Harvy with him in the elevator to his apartment so that they could continue their conversation.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
PG is getting on in years, and he bought a brilliant, cherrywood cane to help him walk. PG named the cane Harvy, and the two became great companions. The special thing about Harvy is that he can talk. He has the inquisitive mind and vivid imagination of a child and a special curiosity about science.
The story begins at JFK airport where Harvy is entranced by escalators, and he wonders where the moving stairs go once the basement fills up. Harvy also wonders about the origins of this mystical force called gravity. He's fascinated by the laws of buoyancy, flotation, and the wonders of flight. Why don't airplanes have to flap their wings like birds to fly? Why can humming birds hover without having rotating blades like a helicopter?
A fiction book for children, The Amazing Scientific Adventures of Harvy, a Brilliant Cane offers a fun look at science and space through the eyes of a talking cane.
"Blending together the perfect mix of scientific facts and fantasy, this thought provoking book will spark curiosity and wonder in all the budding middle—grade scientists who venture into the fascinating world of Harvy, the Brilliant Cane. Harvy's engrossing and inspiring story teaches and entertains on every page. Thank you Dr. Weinbaum for creating the quirky character of Harvy, who makes learning about science an experience to remember."
—Kathleen Tarbell, BS, MLS Middle School teacher and School Librarian for 30 years.
State College PA School District and New York City Department of Education
About the Author
Sheldon Weinbaum is a grandfather and a scientist, one of a handful of living individuals who is a member of all three US national academies: Science NAS, Engineering NAE, and Medicine NAM. He is a CUNY distinguished professor of biomedical engineering and has taught at the The City College of New York for fifty years. Weinbaum has always loved telling whimsical stories to children that stimulate their imagination and pique their interest in science.