Description A joyfully illustrated picture book biography of Rube Goldberg for STEM-loving children and the many people who enjoy doing simple tasks the hard way. Award-winning author Catherine Thimmesh's irresistibly engaging text and artist Shanda McCloskey's energetic, cartoon-style artwork introduce readers to the life and creative legacy of Rube Goldberg, the world-famous inventor of crazy contraptions. A rollicking educational kids' book that is part biography, part inspiration, and part physics how-to, Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll! posits the ultimate question ... why do anything the simple way? (Especially if, for instance, there is a catapult option?) The book includes an overview of the six simple machines that power most of Goldberg's inventions and puts the tools for making real-life Rube Goldberg machines right into readers' hands. It's the perfect thing to spark the imaginations of budding inventors, artists, and thinkers of all ages--because the most promising relationships with science start not with a textbook but with the willingness to break stuff and ask silly questions!