Bridges

Starred review from April 28, 2023

PreS-Gr 2-A beautifully illustrated nonfiction work that invites readers to explore the world through the bridges that connect us all. Majewski flawlessly combines sweeping, acrylic paintings with lyrical yet informative text to show how all bridges are unique, but all must connect point A to point B. Within these spreads, readers will have an accessible look into bridges around the world: from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, to Northern Ireland's Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, to the Victoria Falls Bridge which links Zambia to Zimbabwe. While the bridges certainly take center stage, it is also worth noting that people within the illustrations encompass a wide variety or skin tones, body shapes, and abilities, which really adds to the premise of the book that bridges are made for and enjoyed by everyone. All the structures in the book are clearly labeled with their name, location, and a fact about them. In addition, there is more detailed information in the back matter. VERDICT A unique book to pull in every reader, regardless of their prior knowledge of the subject. A worthy purchase.-Katherine Forsman

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2023
A soaring visual tribute to the qualities that both unite bridges and make them individually distinct. From the 10.4-foot-long El Marco Bridge that links Spain with Portugal to the 34-mile Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge--an undulating ribbon in Majewski's painted overview that sweeps elegantly into the distance and out of sight over the edge of the page--this gallery of nearly two dozen examples, drawn from every continent except Antarctica and Australia, offers both a dazzling catalog of engineering wonders and an opportunity to reflect on their commonalities. "All over the world," the author/illustrator writes, "bridges connect." Some, as his pithy captions and brief endnotes indicate, connect cities, countries, or even continents; others, like the Pont du Gard in Paris or Alabama's Edmund Pettis Bridge, are historic sites that link our past and present. Whether made of steel, stone, or, like the Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge in Meghalaya, India, of living wood, some soar high overhead, while others run just over or even under water. His groups of pedestrians, when the figures are large enough to tell, are racially diverse. Dan Zettwoch's work of graphic nonfiction Bridges: Engineering Masterpieces (2022) offers a fuller history of bridges and a more systematic look at the nuts and bolts of their construction, but this will do at least as good a job of exciting feelings of wonder at the beauty of bridges as well as their remarkable range of designs and materials. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Grand and thought-provoking. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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