This morning I received a long-awaited package from Scholastic Book Fairs’ shipping department: Two shiny new copies of Up-Close and Gross; the book that I, Crystal Bell and Sarah Eshleman designed for them back in March of 2008. The book is published by Tangerine Press, a central-Florida based subdivision of Scholastic, Inc.
Fig. 1: The box from the front.
As a catch-up, some representatives came to UCF in the first quarter of the 2008 school year, and offered us the opportunity to design a book they’d publish (if they got a suitable submission). All we were given was some page layout and die-cut templates, and the key bit that the book would revolve around a working microscope included in the package. The classes broke down into teams, and each came up with variations on a 9-to-12-year-old’s book, geared towards exploration of the readers’ surroundings. From inanimate to living, large to small, local to exotic — There was a fairly diverse array of ideas presented in the first couple weeks. I was a major bookfair supporter in elementary school, and my driving force was to design a book that I would have bought if I were 9-to-12 again.
Fig. 2: The box exterior spread.
On my suggestion, ours took design cues and the “gross appeal” from Mattel/ToyMax’s Creepy Crawlers, FunRise’s Doctor Dreadful, Mattel/Nickelodeon’s Gak Splat, things of that nature. I went so far as to seek out the on-campus entomology department and got photos of their bug collection. Crystal took that and gave it magnificent structure, and Sarah gave it the title it carries now. A preliminary critique by the rep’s boiled down the pool to about 5 or 6 teams, one of which was ours. We finalized our designs, and pitched them again at the Scholastic/Tangerine headquarters in Orlando. They even flew the CEO in from the New York-based headquarters, essentially the Scholastic Mother Ship. Everyone did their thing, but my team really clicked with the Scholastic folks and they were obviously excited about our pitch. Then… We didn’t really hear much of anything from anyone for the better part of a year.
Fig. 3: The box interior spread.
Now the books are here, and we’re just waiting to find out how they do in local book fairs. If the response is good, they’ll be distributed in book fairs elsewhere nationally, and if it continues to do well, it may be translated and distributed internationally! Granted, this doesn’t happen too often, but a boy can dream.
EDIT (October 27th, 2009): I got word from my contacts at Scholastic that the book is currently being distributed by way of Book Fairs only (so you won’t see it on store shelves just yet), but that it should be found in Scholastic Book Fairs in every state! I’ve been told it’s still too early to tell for sure how or when that distribution will change, but you can be sure to find any updates here.
Fig. 4: The book on top of the box.
EDIT (March 18th, 2010): I spoke with a librarian friend of mine yesterday about the book, and she said it sounded familiar — Just got this image (see below) sent to me via text. Neat.
Fig. 5: The book on display at a Scholastic Book Fair.
My son purchased this at his book fair today and the entire family loves it. About an hour after purchasing it, my son accidently slammed the clear end in the car door. That was the only part damaged. Do you know where I can purchase another clear piece? He was so disappointed that I tried to fix it, but alot of the little shattered pieces are missing. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Thanks for checking out the book, Tricia. Keep an eye on your email inbox for a word from Scholastic; I contacted them with your question and they told me they’d get back to you directly.
why is my book maganaphing glass make my wordes look upside down
Hi, Derrinyque. You’re experiencing the results of an odd number of lenses in a compound microscope. According to Micrographia,
To further illustrate, I disassembled my own Microshot microscope and took a picture with my cell phone. You can see that photo here. Just as Micrographia explained, for every lens in the microscope, the image you see is inverted. The first lens flips it upside down, the second lens flips it right side up again, and the third lens flips it back to upside down — Then it reaches your eye. Hence, upside down and backwards results.
This book is currently available at our bookfair. My son wants it & I need to send in $ tomorrow. Do you know how much it is?
I’m glad to hear about your son’s interest in the book! The edition that was sent to me directly from Scholastic’s receiving department has it’s price printed on the back cover right above the UPC: “$10.99 US, $14.00 AUS.” Thanks for the question!
Like to get a copy of this book where can I buy a copy.
Please Call @ [phone number omitted] I’ll a preciate it Thank You In advance.
Hi, Robert, and thanks for your interest in the book! Currently, I’m only aware of the book being distributed via United States Scholastic Book Fairs (ie, in grade schools during certain times of the school year). I will, however, forward your request and information to my friends at Scholastic and see if I can get a better answer for you. For the rest of my readers, if anything viable comes up, I’ll post it here.
I relly want this book. Its so cool. I wanna become a sciantist one day.I inspir you
ben.thanks.
Hi,
We picked the book up today at the book fair and my boy loves it. A quick question. The book was lying on top of the microscope box/cover. When we got home I noticed the opening flap had a piece of tape that was open and a slot where a CD could slide in. I thought at first the book was supposed to fit in this flap, but the book is way too thick. Did this come with a CD, or was the opening inside cover slot supposed to be empty? There is tape there signifying that something used to be in there. Could you tell me what?
@roxie: Thanks for the feedback. For now, the book is still only available via book fairs, but I have been advised to forward all requests for the book to my friends at Scholastic… In the meantime, keep an eye out for the next Scholastic Book Fair near you.
@Mike: Hi, Mike, thanks for the question. The pocket on the inside of the front cover is indeed for the booklet. It’s a tight fit, but in all of the copies I’ve seen, the book is tucked in there. No CD’s. The tape was just to hold the book in during transit, as far as I know.
Hi Benjamin:
I would like to buy your book Up-Close And Gross for my 7 year old son Tyson. It was too late to order from the Book Fair at their school today and I had no luck trying to buy it on-line or at Chapters or the Scholastic website.
Trust you can help. Thanks in advance for your time.
Alice
Hi
A brand new copy of Up-Close And Gross was delivered to my house. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was so amazed. I played with it right away. I brought the book Up-Close And Gross for show and tell the next day at school. I just love the book.
Thank you so much,
Tyson
Hey Tyson, glad to hear you got a copy and enjoyed it so much! Thankyou so much for taking the time to come back write again.