The Constellation hasn’t received the press accorded the Constitution, “Old Ironsides,” but it was built at the same time (though broken up and rebuilt just prior to the Civil War), and also has a long, successful history in battle, as a hunter of slave ships, and as a training vessel. Supported by photos and documents (mostly, as is his wont, from his personal collection), Myers enhances his account of that history, not with the occasional sound-bite or factoid, but with the full text of a contemporary ballad, extended passages from memoirs, a rather sobering chapter from a crew handbook on the proper handling of munitions, and the like. He’s a bit hazy on nautical terminology (see contradictory info about masts, and he uses “fore and aft” as a technical term in the glossary without ever defining them); some of the illustrations are similarly indistinct; and a reproduced page from a modern comic book makes an uneasy fit. Still, this readable, well-deserved tribute to a recently restored national treasure, currently docked in Baltimore, will reach a wider audience than the locally published profiles currently available. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: June 15, 2004
ISBN: 0-8234-1816-2
Page Count: 86
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2004
Floca (The Frightful Story of Harry Walfish, 1997, etc.) offers a great explication of the small trucks that airline passengers see scurrying around jets on the runways. In brightly painted illustrations and simple descriptions, he introduces each vehicle, explains what it does, and shows it in action, e.g., the truck called the baggage conveyor is shown hoisting suitcases into the belly of the plane. All five trucks’ duties point to a big finale when the plane takes off. Given preschoolers’ well-documented fascination with heavy machinery, this book will strike a chord with young air travelers, and answer the questions of older travelers as well. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2561-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
From Kroll (Lewis and Clark, 1994, etc.), a handsomely illustrated biography that introduces a fascinating historical figure and will make readers yearn for more information. The facts are covered, including Fulton’s stints as sign painter, air-gun inventor, and apprentice jeweler; Kroll states clearly which details cannot be pinned down, and the probable order of events and incidents. The text is informative and lively, although in places the transitions are abrupt, e.g., one of the only references to Fulton’s personal life—“Meanwhile, on January 7, 1808, Fulton had married Harriet Livingston. She bore him four children”—quickly reverts to details on the building of boats. Warm gold-toned paintings convey a sense of times past and complement the text. Especially appealing are the depictions of the steamships. A welcome volume. (chronology) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)
Pub Date: March 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1433-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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