(4) K-3 Engineering Marvels series. These books provide brief accounts of major engineering feats--three transportation marvels and three iconic structures. Each book includes the project's purpose, how it was built, personnel involved, and physical challenges encountered. Archival and recent photographs give insight into the construction process. The lackluster texts are enhanced with sidebars providing statistical data and examples of similar projects. A short quiz is included in each title. Glos. Review covers these Engineering Marvels titles: Building Route 66, Building the Channel Tunnel, Building the Panama Canal, Building the Empire State Building, Building the Golden Gate Bridge, and Building the Hoover Dam.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 American Places: From Vision to Reality series. This series highlights six of America's most famous and symbolic landmarks, touching on their history, the individuals involved in their creation, the engineering challenges faced, and the eventual construction and completion of these national icons. Sidebars and plentiful illustrations and photographs add clarity to the succinct, direct texts; historical images of construction are especially appealing. Websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers the following American Places: From Vision to Reality titles: The Golden Gate Bridge, The Statue of Liberty, The White House, Colonial Williamsburg, The Empire State Building, and The Hoover Dam.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Lightning Bolt Books series. These books present basic facts and historical background about the title landmarks. The texts, in large, easy-to-read font, offer minimal but useful information; a few complex concepts (e.g., cofferdams, setbacks) are included without much explanation. Vivid photographs cover most of the pages. A cartoony map is appended in each volume. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Lightning Bolt Books titles: The Empire State Building, The Capitol Building, and The Hoover Dam.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) YA Building America, Then and Now series. These books highlight the histories, construction, and impact of four mammoth American development projects that changed the communities around them. Photos, maps, and informative sidebars supplement the densely detailed writing. American history buffs will find these volumes useful for doing research. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Building America, Then and Now titles: The Hoover Dam, The Eisenhower Interstate System, The Empire State Building, and New York's Central Park.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) K-3 Now That's Big! series. This series highlights marvels of human engineering. Building on a massive scale takes huge effort, and crisp photographs in clean layouts illustrate these monumental feats. The large-font texts, though informative, can be choppy and vague ("People in South Dakota made Mount Rushmore to get other people to visit their state," "People love working in or visiting the Empire State Building"). Reading list. Glos., ind. Review cover these Now That's Big! titles: Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and Mount Rushmore.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Buddy Books: All Aboard America series. Each of these books features a geographical and historical U.S. landmark. Short chapters cover history, triumphs, challenges, and present-day status of each subject; "Detour" spreads provide additional facts, though in some cases the information is not very well organized. Historical illustrations and average-quality photos break up the text nicely, but captions are not consistently clear or accurate. Glos., ind. Review covers these Buddy Books: All aboard America titles: Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Jamestown, Monticello, Niagara Falls, and Oregon Trail.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. On Career Day, Kimmel's narrator is practically laughed out of class when she says her dad changes light bulbs--until she explains that he changed a bulb atop the Empire State Building. The particulars of his job (which is a real one) are fascinating, and Neubecker captures the beauty of Manhattan's iconic buildings with illustrations comprised of lines, dashes, and dots.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Modern Wonders of the World series. These informative introductions to manmade American landmarks address the historical background, building/sculpting process, and significance of each project. Challenges such as finding the right mountain to carve, adapting a bridge in an earthquake zone, and building an early skyscraper are highlighted. The accessible text is accented by strong photographs and appealing layouts. Maps, "Quick Facts." Glos., ind. Review covers these Modern Wonders of the World titles: Mount Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge, and Empire State Building.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 4-6 Checkerboard: Symbols, Landmarks, and Monuments series. These volumes provide an overview of the history and significance of an American landmark, monument, or organization. The texts are easy to read, if choppily written, and accompanied by a variety of black-and-white and color photos. Useful for report writers, these books may inspire readers to seek out more information about these American symbols. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard: Symbols, Landmarks, and Monuments titles: Angel Island, Devils Tower, The Empire State Building, The Golden Gate Bridge, NASA, and The World War II Memorial.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christy Hale. John Cloud, a Mohawk boy, travels from the reservation in upstate New York to visit Papa, a steelworker on the Empire State Building. Rich, sunlit gouache illustrations establish the 1930s setting for this well-told story of a boy's pride in his father, his people, and--for his newfound ability to hear Father Sky and Mother Earth--himself. A historical note is appended.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Wonders of the World series. Illustrated by Alan Witschonke. The Empire State Building, which opened in 1931, was the culmination of New York's great skyscraper boom and remained the world's tallest building until 1972. The concisely written text follows the design and construction of the building and explores its early social significance. The book is illustrated with archival photos, color art, and a handsome three-page foldout of the completed structure. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(1) K-3 At the top of the Empire State Building, a friendly cloud appears to a boy and takes him on a tour of Sector 7, a factory-like satellite where clouds are shaped. The boy draws fantastic shapes of sea life, which confound the regular staff members but inspire the clouds. The illustrations for the wordless story are startlingly and powerfully conceived, the fanciful cloud-shapes both funny and elegant.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999