Missouri Weird and Wonderful is a fast-paced, fact-filled collection of the most fascinating parts of life in our state, with a kid’s-eye point of view. Learn the many wild nicknames of our famous native amphibian, get an appreciation for how radical Scott Joplin’s ragtime music was in the early 1900s, and discover the entire branch of medicine that was born here. Sports, history, wildlife, food, inventions, architecture, natural wonders, and just plain fun come to vibrant life in these richly illustrated, full-color pages.
Author Amanda E. Doyle and illustrator Dan Zettwoch scoured the state, from border to border, to find these nuggets for curious kids of all ages. Find out how much MO you know!
About the authors
Amanda E. Doyle is a Midwestern transplant who finds intrigue and adventures large and small from her home base in St. Louis, Missouri. She’s the author of nine books, from neighborhood guidebooks to a history of the civil rights struggle in St. Louis. She enjoys off-the-beaten path museums, spending a few hours at the coffee shop, and dragging her kids on research adventures.
Dan Zettwoch is a cartoonist, information designer and printmaker, as well as a lecturer in, and alumnus of, WashU’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Art. In addition to many self-published zines and handcrafted mini-comics, his books include Birdseye Bristoe (Drawn & Quarterly), Amazing Facts & Beyond (Uncivilized Books), plus Science Comics: Cars and Science Comics: Bridges (First Second). His goofball illustrations and jam-packed diagrams have also been seen in the Missouri History Museum, the State Capitol Museum and in homemade screenprints commemorating local birds, baseball and strange foods.