subjects from a point of inquiry: why choose to use one material over another? Why use certain shapes in buildings and bridges instead of others? Why are some structures stronger than others? He includes the process of design and problem solving in stories about the featured constructions.


Hubert Invents the Wheel, by Claire and


Monte Montgomery (Walker and Company, 2005), is a farcical novel about a boy in Mesopotamia, circa 3000 bc. He has a pen- chant for inventing things. His latest ideas are about the inadequacy of sledges—there must be a better way to transport things! Eventually he arrives at the idea of making a wheel, and begins selling them (without much success). When people realize the speed and relief of labor that could come from using the wheel, it becomes more pop- ular. But when the enemy Assyrians learn about it, they plot to overtake Sumeria with the wheel playing a critical role in their strat- egies. The book is meant to be humorous, but a good portion of its humor is for adults, with anachronistic pop-culture references. There is light description of problem solv- ing and inventions. Middle schoolers might enjoy this imaginative read.


What Is a Wall, After All? by Judy Allen


(Candlewick Press, 1993), is a picture book for children seven through ten. In rhyming text the author introduces different types of walls, different construction materials and tools, and different techniques for building. Many silly characters exchange quips in comic-strip–type illustrations which some- times distract from the point of the text. But the drawings also label parts of walls and tools. Using this text as a starting point could launch a lively study about building. Most of the walls featured are more typical of European landscapes (older walls, castles, battlements, etc) but there is still a lot of useful material here. Learn why lighthouse walls are round, what a buttress is, and who might live in a stone wall.


Twenty-One Elephants and Still Stand- ing, by April Jones Prince (Houghton Mif-


flin, 2005), is a stunning picture book that tells the story of May 17, 1884, when P. T. Barnum walked twenty-one ele- phants across the newly constructed Brooklyn Bridge to prove it was sturdy and stable. Build- ing the Brooklyn Bridge took no less than four- teen years. At its comple- tion, many were skeptical of its ability to hold weight. But after seeing the enormous elephants cross, a crowd followed. The rhyming text is alliterative and poses questions like “How many pounds can the wondrous bridge hold? How many elephants are too great a load?” This book would be a good addition to studies of bridges, scale, and local history.


The Invention of Hugo


Cabret, by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, 2007), is a mystery for students ages nine through thirteen. This book is a Calde- cott winner and is unique in its use of illustrations to tell the story. Drawings alone populate the pages for long stretches (there are nearly 300 of them), while chunks of text are inter- spersed and tell different parts of the story. The twelve-year-old boy Hugo Cabret is described as orphan, clock keeper, and thief, and he lives in a Paris train station in the 1930s. His story is cryptic, and readers will need to look for clues, hidden messages, and puzzles. The 526-page book will keep students guessing and imagining. The inspiration for the story is the life of pioneer filmmaker Gearges Méliès, who also made wind-up figures called automata. According to Wikipedia, plans are underway for Martin Scorsese to release a 3D film of the story. See the book’s website for more information.


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