Bridges Are To Cross

A young reader's survey of the bridges of the world, from the famous Golden Gate Bridge (pictured on the cover) to the Segovia Aqueduct, built in the first century CE, Philemon Sturges' Bridges Are to Cross presents an amazing variety of structures. Here is the rope suspension bridge - both new and old - built across the Apurímac River of Peru; and here is the famous Brooklyn Bridge, built along the same principles, though made of wire and stone. The graceful simplicity of the wooden Engetsu Bridge, in Japan's Ritsurin Koen (Park), contrasts nicely with the ornate splendor of France's Château de Chenonheau, which is both palace and bridge.

There isn't a lot of text here - every two-page spread includes a few sentences about the bridge show more under discussion - making this an ideal choice for early readers, and younger children with a limited attention span. The cut-paper illustrations by Giles Laroche are engaging, and reminded me of some of David Wisniewski's work. All in all, a good choice for young readers with an interest in technology and construction. I'm not sure they'll get too much insight into how these bridges were made, but they'll certainly find a great place to start, in terms of bridges to investigate. show less

While this book is not chock full of text, it does give a glimpse of many different bridges all over the world. Each bridge is described by what or who crosses it and there is a date of when it was built. The illustrations are beautiful, made out of paper. I think this would be a great accompaniment to a science or social studies lesson.

This book describes many different bridges all over the world. It has a simple description, and then states where the bridge is at. There is a more in depth description at the bottom of the page.

I loved all of the pictures of the different bridges. It was neat how I could just read the short description for younger students and the whole page to older ones.

I could have the students pick their favorite bridge in the book and work with a partner to build one on a smaller scale. I could also have them research how the bridge they picked was built and what it was built with.

Everyone knows bridges are to cross -- to get to the other side. But did you know that some bridges carry llamas loaded with firewood, some let people dance over lazy rivers, some were forts for defending castles, and some were crossed by emperors and popes? From a simple log to woven webs of steel, bridges reflect our values, our lifestyles.

great illustrations, loved how they used very popular bridges and some other don't know about, great lesson tool, love how they explain the bridge and give great details

This book shows different bridges and their functions. It tells where each specific bridge is located. It also shows an illustrated picture of each specific bridge.
I really liked this book. It made learning about each of the bridges fun and interesting. The illustrations are great!
Extensions:
1. I may have the class make a popsicle stick bridge(on paper).
2. I would then have each student draw a picture of their favorite bridge from the book. They will also need to add the name of the bridge.

The book is good if the students have an assignment about bridges because the book has illustations of different bridges, the location, and function of the bridges.

If a child ask about a brige, this book is easy to read and to understand.It make a good reference book on bridges.

I try not to get scared on bridges since a bridge collasped I never looked and thought of them the same again.

In the classroom, I can assign each student a bridge to research to further their knowledge of bridges

In the classroom, a teacher can assign the class to bulid a bridge out of different type of materials other than wood. it can be a fun contest to see which bridge will hold up longer.