Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

From childhood to adulthood, Whoosh! explores the life of Lonnie Johnson, the inventor of the Super Soaker. Lonnie spent his childhood in a small home in Mobile, Alabama, with his parents and five siblings. From an early age, his curious mind led him to take apart household objects and put them back together—a habit that fueled his creativity and love for inventing. This passion for innovation motivated Lonnie to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor. 

Lonnie is a determined and passionate character whose commitment to learning shines throughout. He studies during parties, experiments with new ideas, and turns mistakes into opportunities. “He learned how to make rocket fuel. When it caught fire in the kitchen, Lonnie’s mom didn’t make him stop. She just sent him to work outside.” Lonnie’s tenacity—and the encouragement he received from his family—motivated him to continue experimenting. His constant investigations led him to create an invention that would make him famous: the Super Soaker water gun. Readers will enjoy learning about Lonnie’s humble beginnings and how his success was built on resilience and dedication. 

Barton depicts Lonnie’s story in a way that is both engaging and accessible for young readers. Each page includes detailed images of Lonnie as he passionately conducts experiments in different settings. These images will help readers understand how Lonnie is feeling, as he faces both successes and hardships in his career. As a child, Lonnie dreamed of becoming an engineer. However, an exam claimed that he would not make a good one. “His dream had been challenged. Lonnie was discouraged.” Barton uses these moments to teach readers about resilience, showing that setbacks can lead to new opportunities. The book’s full-page illustrations bring Lonnie’s inventions to life, demonstrating how persistence transformed his early discouragement into creativity and success. 

At the same time, Barton combines this easy-to-follow narrative with more advanced scientific vocabulary. When describing Linex, a robot Lonnie built, Barton writes, “Compressed-air cylinders and valves allowed Linex’s body to turn and its arms to move.” The addition of these technical terms in an otherwise approachable story helps young readers expand their scientific vocabulary while still enjoying a picture book. Although it is a picture book, the story is intended to be read aloud to a child rather than for the child to read it independently for the first time. While some pages only have one to two sentences, other pages are more text-heavy, with a maximum of nine sentences on one page.  

Barton also weaves important historical context throughout the story. The book briefly touches on segregation and discrimination, particularly when Lonnie attends the University of Alabama in 1968. Just five years earlier, African American students had not been allowed to attend this university. When Lonnie competed in the school’s science fair, he felt challenged by a space that felt unwelcoming. These moments teach young readers about prejudice while celebrating perseverance and inclusion. 

Whoosh! is an inspiring and educational read that celebrates invention, problem-solving, and perseverance. With its blend of science, history, and heart, this book is an excellent choice for classrooms and families looking to spark children’s interest in STEM and inspire them to embrace curiosity and creative thinking. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language    

• None 

Supernatural  

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None 

by Madeline Hettrick