Great Bridge-Building Contest
Grade 2-5–While the title of this book is misleading–it is really a tribute to Lemuel Chenoweth and the covered bridge he built in 1852–readers will learn something about how some public works were commissioned at the time. The competition is described, quickly zeroing in on Chenoweth, a self-taught engineer who, in answering the call to design a bridge to span the Tygart River in Virginia, traveled for over a week from his rural home to Richmond to present his simple model. The book discusses aspects of the bridge and its construction and its importance during the Civil War, and concludes with facts about the engineer's life and descriptions of covered bridges that still exist in various parts of the U.S. Munro's colorful ink-and-watercolor illustrations dominate the pages and have more life than Zaunder's text. A few words (phenomenal, political upheaval, and cantilever) lack sufficient explanation. This informative book about the accomplishments of an ingenious man will interest children who enjoy reading about engineering feats.–Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.