What the heck is a polymer? What do sneakers, toothbrushes, toys, and even space technology have in common? They're all made with polymers! Join the curious Story Monster and fun-loving polymer guides, Pauly and Penny, on a colorful comic-style adventure that makes polymer science fun, easy to understand, and full of surprises. Bursting with fascinating facts, real-world connections, and hands-on discoveries, Polymers Among Us sparks curiosity, inspires big imaginations, and reveals the amazing science hiding in everyday life—while encouraging tomorrow's scientists, engineers, and innovators.
Polymers Among Us / Author: Conrad J. Storad / Illustrated by: Jeff Yesh / Publisher: Story Monsters® Press, 2026
About the Author
Conrad J. Storad is the award-winning author and editor of more than 60 science and nature books for young readers. He also writes a monthly science/nature column called “Conrad’s Classroom” in Story Monsters Ink®, a national award-winning magazine. Many of Storad’s books reflect his interest and fascination with nature’s amazing plants and creatures. An accomplished storyteller, Storad has “edu-tained” more than 1 million students and teachers across the nation with his programs and writing workshops that promote reading and science literacy. After 33 years living and working in Tempe, Arizona, Conrad and wife Laurie now live in their hometown of Barberton, Ohio, where he was a 2017 honoree on the city’s Walk of Fame.
REVIEWS
Polymers Among Us by Conrad J. Storad is a good educational resource for kids to learn about polymers. The story starts with a curious little Story Monster who overhears whispered voices in the woods, nudging it to learn about "the Polymers." That sends our little protagonist to follow the rainbow shapes hovering over the ground, leading to Akron, Ohio. Each shape disappears as he passes through it. Akron is also known as the real-life Rubber City. On his way, he meets his cousins, Pauly Polymer and Penny Polymer, who can stretch, flatten, and snap back into different shapes. They show off the flexibility that makes polymers remarkable. As he passes the Towpath Trail, he discovers an entire extended family of plastics and rubbers: the PVC-loving Vinny, the bottle-and-window specialist Ethyl, the military-grade Kev, the food-wrapper Zippy, and the old-timer Grampy Gum from the Latex side. After a fun encounter with them, the curious little Story Monster continues his journey to the Rubber Capital of the World in his new form.
Conrad J. Storad, a veteran science writer for young readers, uses personification skillfully. He turns chemistry into a family of quirky cousins, transforming an abstract subject into something tangible and memorable. The shapeshifting monster gives artist Jeff Yesh plenty of room to play, popping objects and forms between tires, a superhero, a Mars Rover, and more with real visual wit. The Science Fun Fact sidebars are the book's real backbone, delivering concrete, well-researched details. The University of Akron's polymer PhD program, NASA's Apollo-era spring tires, and thermal degradation are facts sprinkled with playful elements to make them exciting for children to learn. I particularly love the closing activity section: hands-on paper-chain monomers, a poly-vocabulary match activity, a spot-the-polymer scavenger hunt, and a lot more. It turns this book into a reusable classroom resource rather than a single read-through. Finally, it concludes with a cliffhanger ending, promising a return to finish Grampy Gum's story, suggesting a series. For classrooms, libraries, and curious young engineers in the making, Polymers Among Us delivers real science with genuine charm.
— Reviewed by Karen Tolentino for Readers’ Favorite, 5 Stars
Polymers Among Us is a wonderful educational book for children. Written by award-winning Walk of Fame author Conrad J. Storad, the book starts by explaining what polymers are and how they are made and used. Child-friendly examples illustrate the abstract scientific concept of polymers.
Next, the book introduces a shapeshifting Story Monster who guides young readers on an adventure to the world of polymers. On this adventure, the Story Monster meets Pauly, Penny, and their relatives, who are all polymers. They take the Polymer Pathway to continue exploring the polymer world. As they head to Akron, Ohio, known as the World’s Rubber Capital, they discover many features of polymers and science fun facts. But what exactly will young readers learn on this adventure?
Polymers Among Us by Conrad J. Storad was a fascinating read for me, a curious adult with my junior grandson in mind. I was impressed by how the book made the difficult abstract concept of polymers easy and fun to learn. I loved how the comic-style illustrated narrative introduced complex chemical products and substances in an entertaining, child-friendly way. The full-page color illustrations by award-winning graphic designer and illustrator Jeff Yesh provided clear, memorable visual support to the narrative. But most of all, I liked the Reading Guide and Learning Activities, which offered a suite of exciting experiments for young readers to develop hands-on knowledge and learn a wider geographical and economic context of polymers. I highly recommend this wonderful book for children curious about science and schoolteachers tasked with explaining polymers to their young learners.
— Reviewed by Olga Markova, Readers’ Favorite, 5 Stars
