Optical Illusions Lab

by John Birdsall

Optical illusions are fun visual tricks that confuse and surprise the brain. Inquisitive kids will discover the secrets behind the world of optical illusions in this exciting new book. Step-by-step instructions for 50 easy-to-do experiments include liquid illusions, mirrors, kaleidoscopes, and 3-D images. By using common household items with the materials included in the book, kids will be off exploring the fascinating world of optical illusions in no time. Seeing is believing!

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2011

About the author

John Birdsall grew up near San Francisco and learned to cook at Greens Restaurant in that city. He spent the next seventeen years in professional kitchens there and in Chicago, and did some writing as a side gig, including food stories and restaurant reviews for the San Francisco Sentinel, a pioneering LGBTQ weekly. After leaving the kitchen, he was a restaurant critic and features writer at the Contra Costa Times and East Bay Express, and the editor of SF Weekly’s food blog. In 2014, he won a James Beard Award for food and culture writing for “America, Your Food Is So Gay” in Lucky Peach, and another in 2016 for “Straight-Up Passing” in the queer food journal Jarry. He’s written for Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Times, and taught culinary writing at the San Francisco Cooking School. He’s married to Perry Lucina, an artist and designer.