Clean Sweep! Frank Zamboni's Ice Machine: Great Ideas Series

Now in paperback. Meet Frank Zamboni, whose determination and persistence led to his invention of the now-famous Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine.


When Frank Zamboni, along with his brother and cousin, opened their own skating rink in 1940 in Paramount, California, it could take an hour and a half for a crew to resurface the ice. They had to level the surface by shaving down the pits and grooves with a tractor, remove the shavings, wash the ice and find a way to give the rink its shining finish. Skaters became exasperated with the wait, so Frank was determined to do something about it. Could he turn a ninety-minute job for five men into a ten-minute task for only one? Working in the shed behind his ice rink, Frank drew designs and built models of machines he hoped would do the job. For nine years, he worked on his invention, each model an improvement on the one before. Finally, in 1949, Frank tested the Model A, which "cleaned the ice in one sweep around the rink." The rest is history.

MONICA KULLING is a poet who has published over forty books for children, including picture books, adaptations of classic novels, and biographies. Known for introducing biography for children who are just learning to read, she has written about Harriet Tubman, Henry Ford, Houdini, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Amelia Earhart, among others. Her award-winning Great Idea Series features biographies of inventors and their captivating inventions. She is also the author of Merci Mister Dash! and Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity. Visit her website at www.monicakulling.ca.

RENNÉ BENOIT is an acclaimed illustrator who grew up in Nepean, Ontario. She studied graphic design, but soon realized that her passion was for illustrating children's books. Her titles have won the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, and Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award. Her award nominations include the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award, the Blue Spruce Award, and the Silver Birch Express Award. She is the illustrator of Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion by Jane Barclay. Visit her website at www.rennebenoit.ca.