From an Idea to Lego: The Building Bricks Behind the World's Largest Toy Company

From an Idea to Lego: The Building Bricks Behind the World's Largest Toy Company

For fans of the successful Who Was series, From an Idea to Lego is a behind-the-bricks look into the world's famous toy company, with humorous black & white illustrations throughout. Today, LEGO is one of the biggest toy companies in the world, but a long time ago, a Danish carpenter, Ole Kirk Christiansen, started with just an idea. Find out more about LEGO’s origins, those famous bricks, and their other inventive toys and movie ventures in this illustrated nonfiction book! Find out the origin the name “LEGO.” (Hint: it combines two Danish words) - See how LEGO grew from a carpentry shop to a multi-platform toy company. - Discover how LEGO bricks are made and how they came up with their design. 2020 NSTA BEST STEM BOOKS 2020 ILA-CBC CHILDREN'S CHOICES READING LIST A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION " "Brilliant and inspiring for inventors and innovators." - Red Tricycle "If you'd like your kids to begin understanding entrepreneurship then the books from Lowey Bundy Sichol's 'From an Idea to... series are a wonderful way to start." - The LEGO Car Blog "Inspiring, honest and interesting. From an Idea to... books are the kind of books that create young entrepreneurs and inventors. I love this series SO much!" - Mrs.Mommy Book Nerd Book Reviews "There was much to love about this book! While there are books that are in the "Who was/ What was" series, this series is a wonderful concept in bringing biographies and business thinking together. ... With simple language, a manner of story telling approach almost, the author introduces concepts of grass-root marketing, patents, market research and innovation." - StackingBooks.com "Young readers, especially those who have an entrepreneur spirit, will enjoy reading." - Kristi's Book Nook "This is a fun, informative series that introduces young readers to the world of business, entrepreneurship, and marketing through easily understood and nicely presented concepts and the exciting histories of some of the biggest companies in the world." - Word Spelunking Blog "If you have nonfiction readers that have an interest in how business or brands work, stick a toe into the water and put a few of these into your collection." - MomRead It blog "I was fascinated to learn about Ole Kid Christiansen and how he and his sons went from carpentry to toy makers to creating the LEGO Group." - Kid Lit Frenzy Blog "From an Idea to LEGO is a great creative fun read." - Brick Warriors Blog Lowey Bundy Sichol is the award-winning author of FROM AN IDEA TO..., a nonfiction biography series that takes young readers (age 8-12) into the world of entrepreneurship and business.  2020-2021 TEXAS BLUEBONNET MASTER LIST 2020 NSTA BEST STEM BOOKS 2020 ILA-CBC CHILDREN'S CHOICES READING LIST 2019 BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS 2019 BEST CHILDREN'S NONFICTION BOOKS A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION Lowey is also the founder and host of IDEA TANK FOR KIDS, a summer entrepreneurship competition for kids (age 8-13) that draws national attention.  Lowey received an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA from Hamilton College where she played varsity softball and women's rugby. When she's not writing, you can find her playing sports or along the shores of Lake Michigan with her husband, kids, and dogs. @LoweySichol | LoweyBundySichol.com Ole Kirk Christiansen Ole (pronounced OH-lay) Kirk Christiansen was born on April 7, 1891, in the small village of Filskov, Denmark. At the time, only three hundred people lived in Ole’s village, most of whom were farmers.       Life was hard for the Christiansen family. His parents, Jens Niels and Kirstine Christiansen, had ten children to care for, and Ole was the youngest. They had only enough money to provide the necessities—food, clothing, shelter, and schooling.       At the young age of seven, Ole went to work on a nearby farm to help earn money for his family. When he wasn’t working or attending school, Ole enjoyed making things out of wood, and over time, he became quite good at it.       When Ole was fourteen, he worked for his older brother, Kristian, as an apprentice carpenter. Ole trained for six years, from 1905 to 1911. After his apprenticeship was over, he spent the next five years serving in the military, studying at the Haslev Technical School, and working as a carpenter in both Germany and Norway. During that time, Ole also met a woman named Kirstine and they fell in love.       In 1916, Ole and Kirstine returned home to Denmark and were married. They moved to a small town called Billund, which had only a handful of farms, a grocery store, a dairy, a blacksmith, one inn, and a school. There, he bought the Billund Carpentry Shop and Lumberyard for ten thousand Danish kroner (or approximately sixteen hundred dollars).       Ole was a very skilled carpenter, and took great pride in the craftsmanship of his work. He hired a handful of carpenters, and together they built doors, cabinets, and cupboards, as wel