13 Bridges Children Should Know

Gr 4–7—Students who are fascinated by bridges won't find a lot on the topic here, nor is it actually a given that children ought to know these bridges. Rather, this title is an attractive travelogue that briefly highlights various bridges located around the world (nine in Europe, two in the United States, and two in Asia and the Pacific) and built in different historical periods, beginning in ancient Roman times. The excellent color photos show off the structures to their best advantage; they'll make readers long to walk astride these impressive engineering marvels. Among the book's useful features are informative captions; cumulative time lines that cite social, literary and artistic, technological, and political events that happened concurrently with the bridges' construction; fact boxes containing information about when and where they were built and what types they are; what bodies of water or land forms the bridges cross; their size; who designed or engineered them; and occasional intriguing "Did You Know?" factoids. Three "Quiz Questions" (readers likely won't know the answer to two of them, but answers are provided) and a "Challenge" to students to try drawing their own "fancy bridge" are also included.