Whoosh is science success story of an African American man made particularly accessible to students by their first-hand knowledge of one of his inventions, the Super Soaker. The story begins with Lonnie’s childhood in Mobile, Alabama and the challenges he faced in pursuing his love of invention. Lonnie wanted to be an engineer, but an exam he took said he would not be a very good one. He was not discouraged by this challenge either.  At a 1968 science fair at the University of Alabama (only 5 years after allowing their first African American students), Lonnie’s home-made robot named Linex won his team first place.  From there he studied engineering at the Tuskegee Institute before working at NASA on the Galileo probe to Jupiter.  And still Lonnie tinkered with his own inventions at home. He came up with the Super Soaker idea while investigating refrigeration and air conditioning systems that were better for the environment than than those that used R-12.  One toy company after another refused to produce his invention.  His attempt to produce his inventions on his own flopped, leaving him in a discouraging and difficult financial situation.  He asked yet another toy company and they said “Wow” and now Super Soakers are sold everywhere.  With the money Lonnie earned from the sale of each Super Soaker, he now has an even bigger workshop where he continues to invent because, “facing challenges, solving problems, and building things is what Lonnie Johnson loves to do.”

This book belongs in every elementary library.