Bridges

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Robbins has become a master of well-crafted nonfiction books featuring hand-tinted photographs. His unusual process creates interest by lending a painterly element to what might otherwise be routine photographs. Here Robbins covers a broad spectrum of architectural styles. He begins simply, with a boy walking a log across a creek and works up to the majestic Queensboro and Brooklyn bridges in New York. In between are, among others, a Connecticut covered bridge, a parkway overpass and an over-the-street bridge linking two Manhattan office buildings. In easily understandable terms, the text discusses all the important structural elements without talking down to the reader. But it is not just the function of bridges that Robbins is addressing; he states, too, that they are ``monuments to craft and imagination, to technology and beauty, and to our need to reach beyond the boundaries of nature.'' Ages 5-up. (May)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-- A baker's dozen of hand-tinted photographs comprise the illustrations for as many types of bridges. This unusual illustrative technique combines the detail of a photograph with the soft hues of a painting, resulting in a pleasant visual effect. Beginning with a log or beam span, Robbins moves to more complicated structures such as suspension, truss, draw bridges, and lift spans. Elevated roads and overpasses as well as building connectors are also described. The physical format along with the brief text may earn this title a berth in the picture book section in some libraries. Readers in libraries that choose to use the suggested CIP will be disappointed with the absence of information on engineering aspects. In both instances circulation will probably be minimal. By classifying Bridges as an architectural topic, a small but interested audience may be led to it. --Nancy E. Curran, Decatur Public Schools, IL