Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race (Step into Reading) [Paperback]

Monica Kulling (Author), Richard Walz (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Step into Reading

It’s 1901 and Henry Ford wants to build a car that everyone can own. But first he needs the money to produce it. How will he get it? He enters a car race, of course! Readers will love this fast-paced, fact-based story!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 1-2. Readers get a taste of history plus plenty of action in this lively entry in the Step into Reading series, which will have great appeal for boys. Color artwork, full of exaggeration, movement, and comical detail, catches the fun and excitement of Ford's history-making auto-race defeat of Alexander Winton, which brought in enough cash to allow Ford to start his famous company. The story has no chapter breaks to give newer readers a breather, but the type is large and well spaced, and the action is so involving, especially after the race starts, that kids won't want to stop reading until Ford crosses the finish line. A brief author's note fills in a bit more of the history. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

It?s 1901 and Henry Ford wants to build a car that everyone can own. But first he needs the money to produce it. How will he get it? He enters a car race, of course! Readers will love this fast-paced, fact-based story!

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (March 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375815104
• ISBN-13: 978-0375815102
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Ford, Henry
  • #2 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Sports > Miscellaneous > Motor Sports
  • #2 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Automotive > Racing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History for kids!, February 6, 2007

By 

Carolyn B. Gatliff - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race (Step into Reading) (Paperback)

Keeping interesting reading for a beginning reader is always a challenge. Henry Ford's First Race was a winner, especially with our six year old son. The cover is now curled from repeated reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Graphics in Kindle Version, February 7, 2011

By 

Luke Kirschmann (Chesapeake VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race (Step into Reading) (Kindle Edition)

My son enjoys this series and I look forward to reading it with him. Mostly I'm writing for the reviewer that asked about the images in the Kindle version. The graphics throughout the story are cute. The picture of the historic race is grainey, which is to be expected.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best readers around!, September 27, 2010

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race (Step into Reading) (Paperback)

I must admit, my kindergartener and I are great fans of the Step Into Reading series of books. Since my daughter had completed the Step 2 books in the Step Into Reading series of books, I decided to go ahead and purchase the Step 3 books. I was a bit hesitant because I noticed there is quite a big leap between the Step 2 and Step 3 books, especially in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure. The vocabulary is more advanced with higher order words, and the sentences are longer. I was also concerned that my daughter might not like the topics which seemed to be more 'academic' with history-based stories. My worries were unfounded. She loves the books and is reading them with very little help from me (and I enjoy listening to the stories!)

These books are excellent for building children's reading skills as well as increasing their confidence in reading. Once you've completed the Step 1 and Step 2 books (I would advise proceeding level by level), the Step 3 books are not as daunting as they might first appear. In "Eat My Dust!", children are introduced to Henry Ford and learn about his contributions. The illustrations enhance the story and add a fun element which will appeal to young children.

I can't recommend these books highly enough - they are great for building reading skills, and also educational. This book is a great introduction to history, and I also came up with a series of short comprehension questions based on the story in this book so as to hone my daughter's comprehension skills (e.g. "What sort of vehicle did Henry Ford drive?", "What event did Henry Ford participate in?", etc. ). These books are not only great intermediate readers but might also inculcate in children a great love of history.