Great Wall of China

November 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-The pictures are a strength of these surveys of large-scale historical and modern construction works. Bridges, for instance, begins with photos of logs across streams and goes on to views of soaring steel structures so long their ends often recede into the hazy horizon. Pyramids offers a select but varied gallery of ancient monuments, some of which are crumbled almost beyond recognition. Similarly, in Great Wall of China, readers can see stretches that have nearly vanished along with well-preserved and newly restored lengths. Tunnels is less visually impressive, as there isn't that much to see, but period photos and (for older works) imagined scenes here and in other volumes cast light on construction methods. Along with identifying, locating, and explaining salient features of each structure highlighted, the authors delve into distinctive engineering challenges, from calculating precise angles in Pyramids to considerations of torsion, wind shear, compression, and, more recently, sustainability in designing Skyscrapers and Towers. The collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge does get coverage in Bridges, but in general the focus is more on successes than disasters. Each volume in the series opens with a page of reading comprehension exercises and ends with both review questions and several links to web resources. VERDICT Strong, attractive options.

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February 15, 2016
Grades 3-6 Although bridges, the Great Wall, pyramids, and skyscrapers are marvelous feats, the titles in the Engineering Wonders series show how these structures began more as problems to solve than the visions of beauty they became. Filled with accessible text and a plethora of colorful examples from around the world, the individual books address the topic at hand rather than conform to a cookie-cutter series template. Great Wall of China describes its symbolism and changing construction under numerous emperors as well as the difficulties, most notably death, during different phases of construction. Sidebars throughout relate interesting facts and ideas to consider, while a concluding time line, glossary, list of websites, and comprehension questions reinforce the content. An inspiring blend of history and STEM.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)