Whirligigs: The Wondrous Windmills of Vollis Simpson's Imagination

by Carole Boston Weatherford, Edwin Fotheringham (illustrator)

Take a journey through the creative process that led folk artist Vollis Simpson to create his wonderful and whimsical wind-powered whirligigs and more in this STEAM/STEM picture book.

Vollis Simpson was a man with a curious mind—always eager to know how things worked and how to fix them. Growing up on a farm in North Carolina, he loved to tinker with machines. And when he served in the Army Air Corps during WWII, Vollis kept right on tinkering. His ingenuity allowed him to build things no one would have thought to create from scraps—a washing machine out of airplane parts and a motorcycle out of a bike.

After the war, his passion for metal creations picked up speed—turning into a whirlwind of windmills as far as the eye could see. Luckily, Vollis’s fanciful and colorful windmills have been preserved at a park in Wilson, NC, where visitors can behold his magnificent and towering creations forever whizzing in the air.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Biography, Art, Childrens, History, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2024

About the author

Carole Boston Weatherford is a children's book author and poet who mines the past for family stories, traditions, and struggles. A number of CAROLE's books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. CAROLE's books have received a wide variety of awards, including a Caldecott Honour for “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom”.

Reviews

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved learning about this man who loved fixing things and then turned that skill into making things. Simpson was a self-taught engineer and inventor who collected junk “too good to throw away” and then created fabulous giant windmills out of the pieces. He erected the windmills, as tall as trees and as colorful and fanciful as he could make them, on the land around his farm in North Carolina. He began his constructions as a retirement boredom buster, but soon people were traveling from far and wide to see them.

Kids will love reading about this man, and the book is full of color and excitement for his creations. The digital art puts the giant, boldly colored contraptions front and center and the descriptive text incorporates onomatopoeia and even a song. Simpson is white; the art shows kids of diverse races visiting and enjoying the windmill farm. An author’s note, bibliography and photos augment the text. This would be a fun read aloud for early grade art classes. Kids will learn that creativity can happen at any age and with any materials.

[John Mullarkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and educational nonfiction/biography on Vollis Simpson by Carole Boston Weatherford about a man who created whirligigs out of scrap metals and spare mechanical parts. I was originally intrigued by whirligigs after reading Paul Fleischman's YA novel - but I had never heard of Paul Vollis - however, after reading this book, I have a great appreciation for his work. The bright and colorful windmill illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham create a sense of spinning and movement and there is plenty of repetitive onomatopoeia that adds a sense of sound. Thanks to the ample backmatter, we learn additional information about Mr. Vollis and his artwork - along with places we can visit and see for ourselves his legacy of creativity and imagination.

[Cynthia Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories about ordinary people with extraordinary imaginations never fail to fascinate and inspire - and that is true of this biographical tale of North Carolina farmer Vollis Simpson. As a mechanic and tinkerer, Simpson invented some amazing contraptions to fill a need. When he began turning spare parts and pieces of scrap metal into beautiful whirligigs and other sculptures, he became a folk artist whose creations drew visitors from around the country. Some of Simpson’s whirligigs can still be viewed at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, NC. This is an uplifting story about an amazing, talented man.

[Hailey Vittrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received this book as a DRC. What a great educational book about Vollis Simpson, a man who made a huge impact on innovation years ago. Up until I read this book, I had never heard of him, but now I have an appreciation for his work. The colorful and whimsical windmill illustrations add even more to this great book.

[Jennifer Heise]

a non-fiction picture book tribute to machinist and folk artist Vollis Simpson and the whirligigs he created. Attractive illustrations and easy to read text with emphasized noises should make it a good read-aloud. Information at the back elaborates and offers resources on Simpson, and a song to be sung to the tune of Old MacDonald's Farm rounds out the book

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations capture the movement and color of the machines, though I really appreciated the actual photos at the end for seeing more shape and mechanism.

Lots of onomatopoeia in the text, and there's a clear storyline through the biography.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive story

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book biography of Vollis Simpson a North Carolina Man who makes whirlygigs that have been seen around the world.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not an earth shattering pb bio.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love learning about folks & history of NC. Never knew this park existed, but it's now on my list of places to visit.