A stylish, eye-opening, utterly engaging, and often wry look at one of the marvels of the material world, from the ground up.
From a lowly mixture of stone, sand, water, and cement have sprung sidewalks, streets, and skyscrapers, sturdy lighthouses and magnificent palaces, long bridges and massive dams. In ancient building practices, in modern engineering, and in the architecture of the future, humble concrete plays a mighty role in the creation of the human-made world. Brimming with facts and spiced with clever running narrative in the form of repartee-filled speech bubbles,Concrete is as intimate and entertaining as it is informative and visually sweeping. Curious readers of all ages—from would-be engineers to science and history buffs to retro-design lovers—will delight in this bold, one-of-a-kind guide to the (literal) bedrock of civilization, amplified by a bibliography in the back matter.
Bibliography. Full-color illustrations were done in pen and ink, watercolor, and ink splatter.
Format
Page Count
Trim Size
Dewey
AR
Genre
Scholastic Reading Counts
JLG Release
Book Genres
Topics
Standard MARC Records
Cover Art
School Library Journal
Gr 1-5-As unpretentious but essential as its subject, this is a marvelous book-an utterly compelling read. Theule (Kafka and the Doll) tells the story of concrete (not cement, but a composite material that uses cement), from ancient times to its rediscovery in the 18th century, and in pared-down style introduces readers to advanced vocabulary ("tensile," "compressive," "monolithic"); architectural monuments (the Pantheon, King Lalibela's Ethiopian rock churches, the Three Gorges Dam); professions (gladiator, emperor, civil engineer); social history (Göbekli Tepe, the building and demolition of the Berlin Wall); and more, with clarity, directness, and humor. Everything is conversationally explained: when "plastic" is used to mean "moldable," a brief speech balloon conveys that meaning. The spare but lively ink and watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the text: unassuming but amusing, rich in detail and meaning. Iconic buildings in Sydney, Kobe, and Baku are depicted, as well as Nancy Halt's Sun Tunnels in Utah. Skin tones vary, even on toga-clad figures. Back matter includes a brief bibliography. VERDICT For elementary readers and up, this book will be read again and again.-Patricia Lothrop?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.