Professor Fergus Fahrenheit and his Wonderful Weather Machine

by Candace Fleming, Don Weller (Illustrator)

When the inhabitants of Dry Gulch wonder if they will survive the terrible drought that afflicts their town, Professor Fahrenheit offers to bring them rain with his amazing weather machine.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.

I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.

Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calling my stories "fibs" they called them "imaginative." They encouraged me to put my stories down on paper. I did. And amazingly, once I began writing, I couldn't stop. I filled notebook after notebook with stories, poems, plays. I still have many of those notebooks. They're precious to me because they are a record of my writing life from elementary school on.

In second grade, I discovered a passion for language. I can still remember the day my teacher, Miss Johnson, held up a horn-shaped basket filled with papier-mache pumpkins and asked the class to repeat the word "cornucopia." I said it again and again, tasted the word on my lips. I tested it on my ears. That afternoon, I skipped all the way home from school chanting, "Cornucopia! Cornucopia!" From then on, I really began listening to words—to the sounds they made, and the way they were used, and how they made me feel. I longed to put them together in ways that were beautiful, and yet told a story.

As I grew, I continued to write stories. But I never really thought of becoming an author. Instead, I went to college where I discovered yet another passion—history. I didn't realize it then, but studying history is really just an extension of my love of stories. After all, some of the best stories are true ones — tales of heroism and villainy made more incredible by the fact they really happened.

After graduation, I got married and had children. I read to them a lot, and that's when I discovered the joy and music of children's books. I simply couldn't get enough of them. With my two sons in tow, I made endless trips to the library. I read stacks of books. I found myself begging, "Just one more, pleeeeease!" while my boys begged for lights-out and sleep. Then it struck me. Why not write children's books? It seemed the perfect way to combine all the things I loved: stories, musical language, history, and reading. I couldn't wait to get started.

But writing children's books is harder than it looks. For three years I wrote story after story. I sent them to publisher after publisher. And I received rejection letter after rejection letter. Still, I didn't give up. I kept trying until finally one of my stories was pulled from the slush pile and turned into a book. My career as a children's author had begun.

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artistry of this picture book is unlike some of the others I've read but it plays nicely into this unique story, but based on historical fact of "weathermakers" that would roll into an area, like snake oil salesmen and try to get those affected by drought to pay up to make it rain.

In this case, this Professor Fahrenheit was a mashup of several actual people and one specific town in which the rain finally came and created issues with flooding. Coincidence as the mayor puts it or truth?

[Kaylynn Johnsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly fanciful text from Candace Fleming, that crackles with dry wit and sparkles with dramatic, imaginative illustrations from Don Weller tells us the incredible story of Fergus Fahrenheit and his Wonder Weather Machine.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The town of Dry Gulch is suffering from a major drought (which, if you think about it, shouldn't be a big surprise to the people - considering the name of their town). A traveling "weatherman" comes through with a fantastic machine that he promises will bring the rain. A skeptical mayor demands several demos, but in the end, they all agree to pay the guy yearly to get good rain.

Very "arty" illustrations.

[Julie]

I was a little skeptical of this Professor Fergus Farenheit. It wasn't until the end of the story that you read the Author's Note that it is based in facts. I enjoyed the use of language and the words like poppycock, hodgepodge, and gripsack. The story seemed full of imagination.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Candace Fleming's first picture book.