SUBWAY

Brimner gives the early history of public transportation a quick once-over, focusing particularly on the building of subway systems in London and New York, but adding side glances toward such related topics as the evolution of the steam engine and the digging of the Channel Tunnel. Waldman adds a period look, if not much specific technical detail, with illustrations that are, mostly, old photos or prints repainted in browns and sepia tones. Neither captures the scale or massive effort that went into these great engineering enterprises, and young readers inspired to dig a little deeper into this grand subject won’t be well-served by the scant handful of adult sources cited at the end. Still, the author not only identifies a stimulating array of historical highlights and major figures, he discusses, however briefly, the impact that subways have had on many of the cities that have invested in them. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)