They Did WHAT?!: Your Guide to Weird and Wacky Things People Do

by Jeff Szpirglas, Dave Whamond (Illustrations)

Over the course of history, humankind has achieved remarkable things: the Great Pyramids, space travel, and the World Wide Web. But what about the eccentricities, the famous bloopers, the bits that have been edited out for so long, like pet rocks, air guitar contests, and turkey-and-gravy soda? It’s time to embrace, not erase! With They Did WHAT?!, Jeff Szpirglas awards the booby prize to history’s most absurd behaviors and creations. “What if” scenarios parody ridiculous events: “What if the latest fad was barracuda swallowing?” (Forget goldfish.) Recurrent characters, Professor and Student, engage in a witty banter, offering quirky facts and related information. Dave Whamond’s playful illustrations complement this satirical mix of history, science, and culture.

Genres: Nonfiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jeff Szpirglas has had a varied career. He's shoveled manure, worked in a steelyard (he hails from Hamilton, after all), and even frolicked in the offices at CTV Television and Chirp, chickaDEE, and OWL magazines, where he was the kids' page editor. His manure-shoveling days long behind him, Jeff currently teaches children by day and writes books/fights supervillains by night.

Reviews

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A goofy combination of fun facts, historical details, urban myths, and weird predictions. Good for an upper-elementary booktalk. Silly illustrations, a little Canadian influence. Fun for early mornings when I'm not quite engaged with the world enough to read an involved novel.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book for reluctant readers. Filled with funny illustrations and interesting trivia and records, young readers will learn about funny customs, wacky records, and weird history. A nice book for a library's resource collection.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the same vein as the Darwin Awards.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool and I learned some interesting facts that the teachers didn't know - or cared about!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Totally worth reading. You won't believe some of the things in this book. Go ahead read it and find out.