Machines of Speed and Flight

Children's Literature - Heidi Hauser Green

Do you want to know how hot air balloons work? Have you wondered why airplane wings don't flap? Are you curious about how spy planes travel undetected? These and ten other questions about "machines of speed and flight" are answered in the pages of this book. Author Nicholas Brasch takes on levitating trains, steam engines, crash test dummies, solar cars, car engines, airplanes, and more. He focuses two pages of text on each "machine" element, exploring an intriguing aspect such as how it was invented or how it functions. Given that the series constrains each book to just thirteen questions, some choices are perplexing. For example, "What Was the Space Race?" isn't really about the machines themselves and seems an odd choice. Furthermore, the "How Do Space Shuttles Work?" passage seems outdated. It focuses only on NASA's space shuttle program, which has come to an end, and makes no mention of future space exploration vehicles. It seems this book would be improved by focusing on "vehicles" and sampling not only those that operate on land and in the air but also in water. Like the other books in "The Technology Behind" series, this one features a colorful format and abundance of information. Illustrations are full-color photographs or drawings, and these appear on every page. Vocabulary words are printed in bold throughout the text, with definitions provided in "Word Watch" blocks on each page. "Web Watch" blocks on each page provide between one and three web addresses of resources with additional information. The web pages cited in this text are predominantly from howstuffworks.com, a popular web resource. Strangely, the entry about the Space Race has no URL provided at all. It's a shame this resource provides no list of books for additional information. All in all, this book is suited for answering a specific, focused set of questions. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green