America's Top 10 - Bridges [Hardcover]

Edward R. Ricciuti (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: America's Top 10

Now reference can be accessible even to younger readers!

Thousands of captivating facts and figures about America are packed into these ten colorful introductory reference volumes. Clear, simple spreads about our nation's most awe-inspiring natural features and landmarks make America's Top 10 books a wonderful way to get young readers hooked on reference. Easy-to-digest entries provide the most important background and history while bulleted boxes offer quick, at-a-glance highlights and facts. Beautiful full-color photographs make the pages come alive as the text sparks curiosity and further interest in the subjects. Also included are a glossary, further reading section and an index.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?Three series titles that attempt to introduce young readers to some interesting facets of Americana. The selections in Bridges appear to be subject to the writer's preferences. Construction also presents arbitrarily chosen projects, gives a short narration on how each one was built, and includes such structures as the Alaska Pipeline, Grand Coulee Dam, the Sears Tower, and the Hubble Space Telescope. Cities briefly describes the history and present-day importance of the nation's 10 most populous urban centers. The format for each entry is the same: a full-page, full-color photo on the left, and a column of text on the right with a wide right margin containing a sidebar offering statistics and a "fun fact." Small location maps are superimposed on the main photo, but many are so limited in scope that they do not show any relationship to the surrounding area, making them useful only to readers who know the location. There are problems with text clarity; e.g., the impression is given that NASA existed in 1946, and some descriptions of how bridges and tunnels were built are vague. Each volume concludes with a list of related structures or cities not included in the text. Most of the factual information in these volumes can be found in any good encyclopedia. Marginal purchases.?Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"In these days of keyword computer searches in libraries, the new America's Top 10 series should be useful to report writers when a whole book on a subject, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Ohio River, or the Seattle Space Needle isn't available."
-- Booklist (Booklist )

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Blackbirch Press; 1 edition (August 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567111971
• ISBN-13: 978-1567111972
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,996,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One Teacher's Opinion, August 26, 2000

By 

Sarah Fairchild (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Top 10 - Bridges (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this book as part of my preparation for a Middle School unit on Bridge Construction, and I am disappointed. If you are looking for a quick and simple reference book, you may be satisfied; however, I found it thin on text (only 24 pages long, including the index), with only two to five paragraphs of collected information, facts and historical bits on each bridge. The text is dry; thus, I am not convinced it would engage young readers, and it offers very little to help kids conceptually understand the different brdige types it features. This book never does answer the question: "Why are THESE ten bridges America's TOP bridges?"

The full page, color photographs do offer good examples of suspension, trestle, cantilever, pontoon, and stone arch bridges, all from the United States. ...