Geography, history, engineering, and trains—all in one elegant package.
What’s not to love about trains?
Thirteen scenic train routes from every corner of the globe are described in detail in this German import. Two or three two-page spreads are dedicated to each route, with retro-feeling illustrations in bold, flat colors showing the dramatic landscapes traveled by these trains together with some of the passengers and local wildlife. Each spread contains general descriptions of the route along with a mock ticket with key data about the length of the track, main stops, and starting date of operation. The chosen routes are tremendously varied, from the quaint Snowdon Mountain rack-and-pinion railway in Wales to the 5,772-mile-long Trans-Siberian Railway (“almost twice as wide as the United States!”). Effort has been made to inject diversity and historical interest into what could be just a book of statistics for train nerds. Each train route depicts passengers, often people of color; notably, a Black engineer on Norway and Sweden’s Arctic Circle freight train is treating her daughter to a ride. Local customs and cuisine are referenced, such as the springbok steak on the Namibia Desert Express and bento box lunches on Japan’s shinkansen, or bullet trains. There’s even haggis for dinner on the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Scotland. It’s a great reference tool for a middle school social studies project, although the tiny, light italicized type used for some captions is hard to read.
Geography, history, engineering, and trains—all in one elegant package. (map, glossary) (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-3-89955-845-6
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Little Gestalten
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
In this glossy photo essay, the author briefly recounts the study and exploration of the moon, beginning with Stonehenge and concluding with the 1998–99 unmanned probe, Lunar Prospector. Most of the dramatic photographs come from NASA and will introduce a new generation of space enthusiasts to the past missions of Project Mercury, Gemini, and most especially the moon missions, Apollo 1–17. There are plenty of photographs of various astronauts in space capsules, space suits, and walking on the moon. Sometimes photographs are superimposed one on another, making it difficult to read. For example, one photograph shows the command module Columbia as photographed from the lunar module and an insert shows the 15-layer space suit and gear Neil Armstrong would wear for moonwalking. That’s a lot to process on one page. Still, the awesome images of footprints on the moon, raising the American flag, and earthrise from the moon, cannot help but raise shivers. The author concludes with a timeline of exploration, Web sites, recommended books, and picture credits. For NASA memorabilia collectors, end papers show the Apollo space badges for missions 11–17. Useful for replacing aging space titles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-57091-408-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
With breezy text and lively graphics featuring a mixed group of young people, this book answers its title question by discussing climate change, pollution, exploitation of natural resources, waste, hunger and the impact of human actions on wildlife. Topics are addressed in chapters titled with questions—“What’s the problem?” “But what about cars?” and “Why are trees important?”—and statements—“Boy, have we messed up!” The answers weave in historical background, clear explanations of the problems and some solutions. This is a more substantive treatment of the issues than its bouncy design might suggest. Sprinkled throughout are one-line eco-tips, summarized toward the end in “5 best ways to make a difference.” From time to time, boxes labeled “FACT!” offer interesting statistics and comparisons, although few sources are mentioned. A lengthy list of organizations and websites, a glossary (of words bolded in the text) and a useful index complete the package. First published in England, this emphasizes the need for international cooperation and offers a refreshing approach to a topic that is not going away. (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7641-4427-1
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Barron's
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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