The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors

The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors

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3.89 of 5 stars 3.89  ·  rating details  ·  584 ratings  ·  153 reviews
Brothers Joe and Bob Switzer were quite different. Bob was a hard worker and planner who wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Joe dreamed of making his fortune in show business and loved magic tricks and problem-solving. When an accident left Bob recovering in the dark basement, the brothers began experimenting with ultraviolet light and flourescent paints. Togther they stumb...more
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published July 1st 2009 by Charlesbridge Publishing

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Alexandria Jakupovic
Like many brothers, the Switzer's wanted different things out of life. Bob wanted to save lives and become a doctor while Joe wanted to stun crowds with magic. In 1933, Bob was involved in an accident at a pickle and ketchup factory. This accident caused seizures and double-vision and damaged memory. He was forced to heal in a basement and he never could become a doctor. His brother Joe was in the basement too, building an ultraviolet lamp and Bob wanted to help. Through man years of experimenti...more
CH13_Christine O'Rourke
Two hard working brothers, Joe and Bob Switzer, grew up in the early 20th century with very different interests and goals in life. Joe wanted to be a magician and Bob wanted to be a doctor. Through lots of experiment, curiosity, cooperation, hard work and each other they created daylight florescence colors. “One brother wanted to save lives. The other brother wanted to dazzle crowds. With Day-Glo, they did both.” Not only are the colors they discovered bright and beautiful, but they are things w...more
Brit
The Day-Glo Brothers is a unique book based on a true story of two brothers, Joe and Bob. The story is more for older children around 2nd- 4th grade and does use a story plot with a rise, climax, and fall. The illustrations start at the beginning with more black, white, and pale colors and as the story progresses the pictures have more and more accents with neon in shades. The accents with the bright, neon oranges, greens, and yellows really are striking and captivate the attention of the reader...more
Davina Cuffee
1. Junior Book-Biography

2. Two brothers, with unlike interests, find themselves connecting to create an awesome product. While joining the thoughts that make them different, they made Day-Glo, the colors that glow at night and in the day!

3a. The science aspect of the book

3b. This book is timeless. I like how the book doesn’t feel like a biography when reading. It’s a really good story and many kids will enjoy it. The science in the book has many great ties for the curriculum.

3c. Once Bob was inj...more
Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance
The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton

So how would you illustrate a book about the two brothers who invented day-glo paint? But of course. And, boy, are day-glo colors effective in the telling of this story and its illustration.

Bob and Joe Switzer never set out to be inventors. Joe wanted to be a magician. Bob wanted to be a doctor. They did not realize their dreams, but a greater future lay ahead of them; they gained fame...more
Tasha
I am always on the look-out for books that offer a great story combined with nonfiction. This book definitely has that. Even better, it offers a tangible example of invention that children can relate to and understand. Joe and Bob were not similar brothers. Bob enjoyed working and planning while Joe preferred magic tricks and problem-solving. The two made the perfect inventing pair. After Bob suffered an accident and was limited to living in the family’s basement, Joe joined him there to practic...more
Betsy
I think a lot of kids grow up thinking that great discoveries are intentional. People intended to walk on the moon. Edison intended to create a light bulb. Some bloke intended to find a way to can Spam. That’s why there’s a whole genre of non-fiction picture books out there dedicated to accidental discoveries. People like to tell kids that sometimes greatness is a mistake, not planned or earned. But I think there’s a third way of looking at this. What about the people who worked hard their whole...more
babyhippoface
So, it turns out that the story of how Bob and Joe Switzer came to create fluorescent paints is more interesting than one would imagine. Magic, a car full of ketchup bottles, and a glowing angel food cake all played a part. The process they went through was interesting, but the part I most enjoyed was the list of ways their paints were used, from golf balls, movie posters, goalposts and hula hoops to panels, buoys, vests, and other items that helped the Allies win World War II.

The illustrations...more
L13_Natasha
Can color be created? The answer certainly is yes. For glow in the dark color, it was intentional. Popular in fashion today, this book is trendy and fun. The Day-Glo Brothers chronicles the birth of these bright, intriguing colors. The two brothers were on seemingly different paths, one interested in magic, the other in becoming a doctor. Bob's magic act consisted of black art, illusion that "involved an object, painted half black and half white, that seemed to float and then disappear." After a...more
Tatiana
"One brother wanted to save lives. The other brother wanted to dazzle crowds. With Day-Glo, they did both." This picture book about the true story of Joe and Bob Switzer and their invention of Day-Glo is a gorgeous riot of bright colors that tells the story just as much as the wonderful narrative. America likes nothing better than a story of scrappy heroes who make something out of nothing, accidental creations that changed a nation in a fantastic and not so-subtle way. These two brothers starte...more
Mary
I thought this book was great! It had a great story about two brothers' lives and how they came to stumble upon inventing neon colors. In addition, the illstrations were great because there were more and more neon colors as the book progressed. The audience for this book would be 2-6 grades. I think the story would hold their interest and the picutres are very eye-catching and attractive. This book is from the Robert F. Sibert Medal and Honor Books from 2010.




The e-book I chose to review was Tar...more
L12_sarah
The Day-Glo Brothers tells the fascinating story of how day-glo paint was invented. In the early 1930s, Joe Switzer was set on getting into show business as a magician, whereas his brother Bob wanted to be a doctor. When Bob was severely injured during a work accident, he was forced to recover at home, in the dark basement. Meanwhile, his brother Joe experimented with light in the basement, since he had read an interesting article in Popular Mechanics magazine. Bob eventually assisted with Joe...more
Jen Mc
This was for the recommended picture book assignment.
The Switzer brothers were smart and bored, and that was the perfect recipe for invention. The colorful, neon paint they came up with gave new meaning to “bright idea”.
This is a fascinating non-fiction book about a topic that I had never really given any thought to. How fluorescent paint and Day-Glo colors were invented is a fun way to get kids interested in science and reading about science. According to Scholastic Book Wizard, it is a guided...more
Treasa
I knew nothing about the invention of Day-Glo colors when I picked up this book, and Barton did a great job of introducing me to the two brothers who developed these bright colors. The illustrations are cleverly done - they are done in black and white with accents of fluorescent colors. The use of the bright colors that the brothers invented is certainly appropriate, and the colors used gradually get brighter as the brothers discover more and more about these colors. However, I personally did no...more
Lindsey
I viewed/listened to this book as a Tumble Book. The combination of the black and white pictures and then developing day-glo colors was presented in this online book, like in the actual book. The online book added some movement of certain parts of the picture. A larger percentage of the "page" on my laptop screen seem to be devoted to the text than in the print book. I thought that the movement of the pictures, the pixelized look of the pictures, and the movement of part of the pictures took awa...more
IndyPL Kids Book Blog
•Bob and Joe Switzer were just two boys having fun; riding in airplanes, practicing magic tricks and inventing stuff. They liked to problem solve by thinking up interesting solutions to problems.
Joe liked magic tricks and read in the magazine Popular Science about how ultraviolet lamps, called black lights, made some substances glow in the dark. The brothers made some glow-in-the-dark paint and figured out ways to use them to jazz up Joe’s magic act. Then they figured out something really unique...more
Hillery Puente
This book was pretty interesting. Very different as to what I would normally read. I liked it because it is a true story about two brothers who made neon colors and came up with inventive ideas. I enjoyed the use of colors in the book. I liked how in the beginning it asked how a regular florescence color worked. The book is already informing the reader of what the book is about and the history of how these two brothers came up with these brand new colors. This book would be fun to read to an old...more
Jackie
The story of brothers, Joe and Bob Switzer, who through a combination of luck, curiosity, and perserverance, discovered the properties and effects of fluorescent paint. Originally, they wanted to use the paint in Joe's magic act and yet even though Bob was serious and studious and wanted to be a doctor, together they found a way to use these paint properties for profit.

Fluorescent paint was used in the WWII campaign as a way to send signals. After the war, the colors were used for signs, traffi...more
Rebecca
This book has gotten so many starred reviews that I picked it up at the bookstore to see why. It was a fine book with an interesting topic, but I was kind of disappointed in it. I didn't care for the pictures, which were line drawings that looked as though they had been resurrected from a 1940s children's picture book (maybe that was the intent), and I felt that the text, which has been reviewed for up to 6th or 7th grade, is in fact really aimed at elementary school. I find this kind of science...more
Elizabeth Padomek
Audience-2nd-6th, boys will especially enjoy, anyone interested in inventing things
Appeal-The pictures in this were really fun-they began as black and white but as the story progressed and the characters had invented the new colors, those colors were added to the black and white-first they were muted, like the invention, and got more vibrant as the brothers discovered how to make them more vibrant. Younger students may enjoy this book as well, but the text is a little more difficult, geared towa...more
Laura
Apr 08, 2012 Laura added it
Shelves: edsl-520
Barton, Chris. The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand- New Colors. (2009)

Annotation: Bob and Joe Switzer both have plans for fame and fortune, but never did they think that it would happen the way it did. While Joe was trying to improve one of his magical acts, he found a new source of light that would take them to create new ideas about colors and how they can be seen.

Themes:inventions, family, light, colors

Ways to use with children:You could use th...more
Christina
Who knew the invention of those bright bright colors had such a "colorful" story behind it? And a Cleveland Ohio connection as well, which I found charming. This biography tells the life stories of the brothers Bob and Joe Switzer, who accidentally-on-purpose came up with a permanent glowing paint that could be used in a variety of places from safety signs to magic tricks. The book is illustrated IN DAY-GLO, which might be overly bright to some people but I found it really cool, and the colors a...more
 Dena
Reading Level: 4th Grade and up
This is the "colorful" story of Bob & Joe Switzer, the creators of Day- Glo colors such as green, orange and yellow. Not only do we learn about how they created these illuminating colors, it is also the story of their never giving up approach through failed attempts and life's unfortunate experiences. The black & white pages with splashes of Day-Glo color are a visual treat. This book would tie in great with a Day-Glo art project. I shared this book with th...more
Carolynne
Such a unique book, telling a story that has not been told before to children. Bob wanted to be a doctor, and Joe wanted to be a magician. How they never reached their goals, but used their talents in an entirely new and satisfying way makes a compelling tale. The Illustrations are reminiscent of 1950's commercial art and are colored with Day-glo colors, just as they should be. What an inspirational book, too: not just a rags-to-riches story, which it is, but one which should inspire enterprisin...more
CuriousLibrarian
This is a 3.5 from me.

With its day-glo colors both on the cover and inside, this is certainly an eye-catching book. Which is the point, of course. It is the story of the brothers who created day-glo paints and dyes. Until I picked up this book, I can't say that it ever occurred to me to wonder how or when these colors were created. But the story is fairly interesting, and full of little anecdotes which intrigue the historian in me (an author's note at the end talks about the process of interview...more
Kristy Campbell
Audience: young future inventors--students that like to use their imaginations with high aspirations. I would read to students as young as third grade.
Appeal: This book would be great to have students use for a research project on inventors, or just for some inspiration for school. These men that invented the "day-glo" made a lot of money using their imaginations and process of elimination. They never gave up and had many trials to make sure they had found something great.

Robert F. Sibert 2010...more
Joanne
WHAT a fun book! I love the 50s-retro illustration of this well-done nonfiction book explaining how day-glo colors were invented. The illustrations are mostly soft grays, but accented by day-glo color as the story unfolds. And the brothers age over time. I also love the way the brothers' different talents combine to help them invent and market their product, and the general entrepreneurial and creative spirit. I also learned how fluorescence works.

More, please, Barton & Persiani.
Diana Hanke
Who would have thought that paint was so interesting? Chris Barton does a masterful job using language and descriptions that will catch the interest of children. Bob and Joe Switzer were brothers with two very different personalities. Bob was organized; Joe was impulsive. Joe's ambition to become a magician and Bob's accident while working for money to attend medical school led to a collaboration in colors. Eventually their experiments resulted in the florescent colors of today.
Cynthia
If you're looking for a great non-fiction book to read to your kids you should put this one on your list. It's the story of the Switzer brothers who invented day-glo colors (before reading this book I didn't even know that they needed inventing). The illustrations start out in black and white, but as the story progresses they become more and more colorful. We just got this book from the library yesterday and my 4 year old has already asked for it to be read to him twice.
Amy
This book is so cool!! Not only does it tell the interesting story of how day-glo colors were born, but it also shares a tale of working to overcome adversity and to keep trying, no matter what! It shows that two people who have different goals and different ways of achieving those can work together to create something amazing!
It would be a really fun story time book if you had a blacklight to accompany it. It's also a fun little lesson in science!
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The Day-Glo Brothers (TumbleBook)
The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors (ebook)
The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors (ebook)
The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors (ebook)
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Children's book author & illustrator Tom Lichtenheld writes for kids who love to laugh and adults who love to laugh along with them. His books have been featured in Newsweek and Child magazines, as well as the New York Times Best seller list.

He is available for school and library appearances.

Please note that school events are not open to the public.

Book fairs and library events are open to t

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More about Chris Barton...
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