Highway Builders

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Highway Builders is an informative and engaging picture book that explores how roads are built. Young children will enjoy learning about the many different trucks and tools. Divided into three sections — Ready to Start, Making the Road, and Finishing Off — the many stages involved in building a large road are clearly described, emphasizing the magnitude of the task.

From clearing the land to scooping and moving dirt, leveling the ground, and finally laying the pavement, the large trucks that children love are involved every step of the way. Kids can watch as a road grows before their eyes and at the same time become familiar with the special machines that perform each important task.

Did you know that a backhoe can move sideways? Or that the large trucks which move heavy equipment are called mobile cranes? Excavators can bite deep into the ground, scooping huge bucketfuls of dirt, but they can also be used to lift and drill. Bulldozers and dump trucks rumble through the pages. After the pavement is laid and smoothed down, the road is still not finished — don't forget the street lights!

The trucks are shown in the many bright colors in which they often appear in real life. Double-page spreads come complete with true-to-life illustrations of the trucks in action and also include detailed pictures labeling the important parts of each truck. Included at the back of the book is a glossary of construction terms and a short section on how recycling is used in highway building.

Praise for the first edition:

"This is a great book for kids interested in heavy road building equipment ... Each piece of equipment is well illustrated and presented in various views to clearly indicate how it works."

- Children's Literature, USA

"This will be a favorite among genuine heavy machinery enthusiasts, who will likely read and reread this book until they've committed it to memory."

- The London Free Press

Author Biography: Georgie Adams has worked in children's literature for over thirty-five years. She now writes full-time in England.

Peter Gregory works as a freelance commercial artist for several publishing houses and advertising agencies. He has collected vintage toys for thirty years. Peter lives in England.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Kristin R. Harris

This is a great book for kids interested in heavy road building equipment. Detailed illustrations of back hoe loaders, mobile cranes, excavators and bulldozers accompany descriptions of how they work. After the site is cleared, the dump trucks, motor scrapers, compactors, motor graders, rollers, pavers and chippers get to work. Each piece of equipment is well illustrated and presented in various views to clearly indicate how it works. A glossary is also provided. A neat book at a great price.

Kirkus Reviews

A British import containing full-color drawings and brief descriptions of ten types of heavy machinery used in the construction of a road. Inattention to detail all but eliminates its usefulness: Measurements are given in tonnes; some material is illogically placed (the mobile crane is grouped with earthmoving equipment); inaccurate labels, such as the names of various lights on the dump truck, mar the highly realistic illustrations; and asphalt is the only type of finished surface discussed, even though most US highways are paved with concrete. One entry in the glossary, diesel engine, is out of alphabetical order.