Empire State Building (bk 1) (48 pgs)

Mann, Elizabeth. Empire state building. Mikaya Press: New York 2003.

Summary:
Elizabeth Mann gives an accurate account of the building of the Empire State Building. Through a very easy to read story line she describes how the dream of building the tallest building in New York came about. She revisits the days of the steel industry and the complications that came with trying to build a structure of that size. She uses diagrams and pictures to describe the way the building was constructed and even how that construction proved to be the safest and most advanced of its time.

Grades: 4-8
Author: Elizabeth Mann
Illustrator: Alan Witschonke
Illustrations: Media-pictures taken from the building of the Empire State Building, paintings using oil paints
Access Features: Index, Bibliography, Credits, Glossary, Facts, Side bars
Curriculum: Social Studies, Science
Classroom Use: This book could be used during a lesson about the Industrial Revolution and the boom of the Steel Industry. It could also be used to discuss the physics of how the building was constructed.
Credibility: Mann has written nine of the Wonder of the World books. This is an award-winning nonfiction series. She writes books that she has researched and gives a bibliography to prove her research and writings.
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2004
Standards: Social Studies: Standard 2-Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 8-Science, Technology, and Society; Science: Content Standard E-Abilities of technological design; Content Standard F-Science and Technology in Society
Related Text: The Brooklyn Bridge by: Lynn Curlee; The Brooklyn Bridge by: Elizabeth Mann; Hover Dam by: Elizabeth Mann; Panama Canal by: Elizabeth Mann; Roman Colosseum by: Elizabeth Mann

Response:
I really enjoyed this book because I learned quite a bit from it. There was a lot of information about the construction of the Empire State Building and the rivalry that went with the plans. I never knew what the structure on top of the building was for until this book. It is a fast read and I learned things I had never thought about until this book.