Cross a Bridge - Hardcover

Young construction and transportation enthusiasts are inducted into the world of bridges with this boldly illustrated primer. Four blue rivers slice the green grassy plains of endpapers, punctuated by eight kinds of bridges, from suspension and trestle to pontoon and beam. Miller arranges clean-cut geometric shapes and flat, bright colors into arresting compositions: A lone beam bridge stretches diagonally across a wide blue lake, while suspension and arch bridges surround a city skyline. The text is exceedingly brief and oversimplified; at times it is perfunctory, with an emphasison the crossing of bridges rather than on static structuresthat may confuse some children: ``They carry cars full of people. They carry trucks, busses, and trains, too, full of people and all kinds of things that people need.'' The height and length of bridges in Colorado and New Orleans are mentioned but never named; there's a cursory reference to the more than 30 bridges of Paris. The text finally takes flight on the last page, reaching beyond the mechanical, with ``Bridges are for sitting, and fishing, and wishing.'' (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Simple, strong pictures of a variety of bridges from ancient times to the present make this a book worth looking at. The text, however, misses an opportunity to provide children with more interesting facts about particular kinds of bridges: how trestle bridges over great gorges are built, how a suspension bridge stays up, ect. The first-time authors (the pair has a joint pen name) perhaps aimed at too young an audience, and their final sentences, "But bridges aren't just for crossing. Bridges are for sitting, fishing and wishing." Damned few bridges fill that bill, and even small children know that. A stronger text would have made this a first-rate picture book. -- From Parents' Choice®