Highway Builders. Georgie Adams. Illustrated by Peter Gregory. Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2001. 32 pp., pbk., $6.95. ISBN 1-55037-708-6. Subject Headings: Road machinery-Juvenile literature. Kindergarten-grade 3 / Ages 5-8. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4

excerpt:

Everyday, trucks and cars take people and the things they need from place to place on roads. But who built the roads and how do they do it?

Building a residential city street, a main urban thoroughfare, or a multi-lane superhighway connecting major cities is a long, drawn-out task. Commuters, one and all, are inconvenienced, annoyed, and frustrated. Although the book is for children, hopefully adults will be entertained and informed as the complexities of modern road building are explained. Perhaps they will become more intrigued by the process than maddened by the delays. If not, at least the book will enamor children.

     George Adams clearly lays out the process of road building and describes each machine's place in the flow of construction. The machines are illustrated doing their jobs, and the important features of each machine are adequately labeled. The highway building equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. First, large earth moving machines, like backhoes, excavators and bulldozers, are used to clean and prepare a rough roadway. These give way to dump trucks, scrapers, compactors, and graders that smooth and define the highway. When these machines tasks are done, in come the smooth rollers and pavers to finish the job by laying the asphalt or cement.

     This book deserves a solid recommendation because it introduces children to such a wide variety of machines and describes each one's purpose succinctly. Students will see the logical progression that the construction process goes through, and, when passing road construction, they will know what needs completing before the road can open for traffic.

Highly Recommended.

Ian Stewart is a teacher in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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