13 Skyscrapers Children Should Know

Gr 4–8—While the cover design lends this a textbooklike appearance, the content is anything but. Using sharp photographs and easy-to-read explanatory text, Finger describes the origins and unique architectural features of world-famous buildings such as the Woolworth Building in New York City, the Shard in London, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Included are details about what makes each building special in terms of design, use of materials, and aesthetics. For example, the tree trunk-like Shanghai Tower twists as it rises to give it greater stability. The tower also contains sun-drenched parks on every floor so that workers and residents can enjoy greenspace without leaving the building. For each building, there is a sidebar with quick facts: the number of years it took to build, the architectural style, the height, the number of floors, and the designer. A time line spanning 115 years shows what else was happening in the world before and after each building's completion. Finger includes information and photos about other buildings similar to those featured.