The Industrial Revolution for Kids: The People and Technology That Changed the World, with 21 Activities

by Cheryl Mullenbach

Overview

An NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
 
ILA Children's and Young Adult's Book Award—Intermediate Nonfiction

2014 VOYA Non-Fiction Honor List
 
The Industrial Revolution for Kids introduces a time of monumental change in a “revolutionary” way. Learn about the new technologies and new forms of communication and transportation that impacted American life—through the people who invented them and the people who built, operated, and used them. In addition to wealthy industrialists such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie and ingenious inventors such as Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell, you’ll learn about everyday workers, activists, and kids. The late 19th and early 20th centuries come to life through the eyes of hardworking Chinese immigrants who built the Transcontinental Railroad; activist Isaac Myers, an African American ship caulker who became a successful businessman and labor union organizer; toiling housewife Hannah Montague, who revolutionized the clothing industry with her popular detachable collars and cuffs; and many others who help tell the human stories of the Industrial Revolution. Twenty-one hands-on activities invite young history buffs to experience life and understand the changing technologies of this important era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613746905
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/01/2014
Series:	Chicago Review Press For Kids Series , #51
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	269,320
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cheryl Mullenbach is a former history teacher, librarian, public television project manager, and social studies consultant. She is the author of Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II and has contributed to Arizona Living Magazine, the Des Moines Register, Iowa Council for the Social Studies Journal, Iowa Heritage Illustrated, and An Encyclopedia of American Women at War. She lives in Panora, Iowa.

Editorial Reviews

Activities such as ‘Tell a Story with Photographs’ may just inspire children to learn more about the work of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine…Presents a huge amount of history in a format easy for browsing.” —Kirkus


“The causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution are complex and many, and Mullenbach does a terrific job of streamlining the topic for children...The inclusion of excerpts from primary-source documents (such as letters and diaries written by kids) lends the book immediacy and personality." —School Library Journal

"The Industrial Revolution for Kids is a versatile book that would be useful as a resource for a school report or research project, as a homeschool text for a unit on American History, or as a way for adults to quickly browse and brush up on history. See how history can be made relevant and interesting with this unique, hands-on learning approach.” —Wrapped in Foil

“Mullenbach does a wonderful job of giving the big picture, while at the same time telling the stories of lesser-known individuals who younger readers will find especially relevant. She pulls no punches, revealing the hard times as well as the good things that came out of the era.” —Nonfiction Monday

“This topical overview introduces aspects of the American Industrial Revolution through real-life experiences that will resonate with middle-school audiences...Teachers and student researchers will appreciate this engaging supplement to classroom texts.” —Booklist Online

“The author does not skimp on the horrors and unpleasantness of cities during the onset of industrialization. Still, the emphasis — in this day and age of technological wonders, fortunes and wizardry — is mostly on what mechanical science brought to the world 150 years ago.” —MetroKids



“Sure you have heard of the Rockefellers and the Carnegies (and their famous factories), but what about Hannah Montague or Jacob Riis?  No?  Well, now you can read all about the lesser known people who helped the Industrial Revolution in America. This is a very impressive and interesting read for kids and their grown-ups!” —Momma's Bacon

“The Industrial Revolution for Kids is not only a great read, but it offers us a reality about the foundation of our nation’s workforce history and reminds us what had to take place yesterday in order to enjoy the modern conveniences that make our everyday lives so much easier today.” —Smart Books for Smart Kids

From the Publisher

07/01/2014
Gr 4–6—The causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution are complex and many, and Mullenbach does a terrific job of streamlining the topic for children. She begins with a brief definition of the Industrial Revolution and then, over the course of seven well-organized chapters, analyzes the changes in manufacturing, transportation, and communication. The inclusion of excerpts from primary-source documents (such as letters and diaries written by kids) lends the book immediacy and personality. As a result, students of today gain perspective on the impact of the Industrial Revolution on everyday people: the wild disparity of lifestyle between the rich and poor, the way new technologies made life easier for some and harder on others, and so on. The writing style is engaging, and the archival photographs (many of which depict children) and ephemera are well curated. The usefulness and/or feasibility of the activities scattered throughout is questionable (making gruel; creating an early 1900s diary using a laundry list of materials that includes a kitchen blender, a hair dryer, an iron and ironing board, and a window screen). What shines through is the author's ability to express through words and images the breakneck pace of change and the myriad people, places, and events that contributed to it.—Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC

School Library Journal

2014-05-28
The latest installment in the For Kids series spans the early 1800s to the early 1900s in the United States, covering 100 years of revolutionary changes in manufacturing, transportation and communication.It was a century of contradictions. Railroads crossed the continent, automobiles puttered along new roadways, skyscrapers soared toward the heavens, and some men made fabulous fortunes—while workers in mines, mills, meatpacking houses and sweatshops labored in stifling conditions to support the new economies. And piles of garbage, lakes of sewer water and lurking diseases made life in cities difficult for those who had to live there. Parents and teachers can relive the times with children by selecting from the 21 activities that supplement the text. They can design their own tenement spaces, make gruel just like that served in orphanages and weave placemats similar to baskets woven in houses of refuge. Dense, text-heavy pages make the historical narrative heavy going, but the well-chosen archival photographs and informative sidebars draw the eye to an easier parallel narrative. And activities such as “Tell a Story with Photographs” may just inspire children to learn more about the work of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine.Presents a huge amount of history in a format easy for browsing. (resources, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews