Bridges

by Marc Majewski

Overview

Explore bridges around the world—and how they unite us—in this gorgeously illustrated nonfiction picture book

Bridges can be high or low, long or short, straight or curvy. Some are designed to blend in, while others stand out. But each one tells a story: a reminder of our history, a testament to ingenuity and engineering, an invitation to imagine the possibilities of the future. Literally and symbolically, bridges connect us—to new places, new cultures, and new people.

With poetic text and sweeping illustrations, Marc Majewski delivers a unique, accessible look at bridges all around the world: from San Francisco’s incredible Golden Gate to the Victoria Falls Bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe to England’s Tower Bridge and Japan’s Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and many in between. Both informational and thought-provoking, Bridges shows how these awe-inspiring structures unite the manmade and natural worlds, and how they bring humanity together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419756818
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/28/2023
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	846,480
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marc Majewski is an award-winning illustrator and picture book maker. Marc spent his childhood in the Alps, surrounded by lakes and forests, which deeply influenced his work. Nature plays a significant role in his books. It is often depicted as vast, rich, and colorful, always serving as a source of wonder or a refuge. He has written and illustrated several books, including Bridges, Parks, and Butterfly Child, which has been translated into more than ten languages. Using mostly paint or ink to create his illustrations, Marc’s style is characterized by sweeping strokes and bright colors. His work has been displayed in many exhibitions around the world, including the Bologna Children’s Book Fair “Illustrators Exhibition” and the Society of Illustrators “The Original Art,” as well as in newspapers such as Internazionale, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and The Telegraph. Today, Marc lives and works in Berlin.

Editorial Reviews

***STARRED REVIEW***
“A soaring visual tribute. Grand and thought-provoking.”—Kirkus

***STARRED REVIEW***
“A unique book to pull in every reader, regardless of their prior knowledge of the subject. A worthy purchase.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 04/28/2023

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

School Library Journal

★ 2023-03-14
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)

Kirkus Reviews