Empire State Building: When New York Reached for the Skies

Wonders of the World

by Elizabeth Mann, Alan Witschonke (Illustrator)

From start to finish, Mann tracks the wonders of architecture, engineering, and construction that went into the creation of the tallest building in the world for the time. Fascinating profiles describe the individuals who dreamed of and built this architectural marvel. Archival photographs recreate the heady world of the steelworkers out on the girders, high above the city streets. Wonders of the World series The winner of numerous awards, this series is renowned for Elizabeth Mann's ability to convey adventure and excitement while revealing technical information in engaging and easily understood language. The illustrations are lavishly realistic and accurate in detail but do not ignore the human element. Outstanding in the genre, these books are sure to bring even the most indifferent young reader into the worlds of history, geography, and architecture. "One of the ten best non-fiction series for young readers."
- Booklist

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Architecture, American History, Social Science, History

48 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2003

Reviews

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for learning about how the magnificent building was built during the great depression. I learned so much! And the illustrations were beautiful and kept the boys engaged!

[Chantel Bahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informational text about the Empire State Building. The book gives a lot of information about the history of the Empire State Building and it's architecture, it is easy to read, and is full of fictional and non-fictional pictures (both captivating), as well as numbers labeling parts of the picture. This would be a great text for a student in fourth or fifth grade to get information from if doing a research paper/project of some sort.

[Sylvia McIvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kid who does not like to read: This was good. Get me this and this and this from the back cover.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for school!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much we enjoyed this book. I thought it might be a bit on the dull side, but it wasn't. We learned a lot and have had fun telling friends and family about the various things we learned. The mixture of illustrations and pictures helped us visualize all the intricacies of the building process. We read 2 to 4 pages a day and it took about 2 weeks to finish. I think if we'd read more than that in one day we wouldn't have liked it as well.

This book also discusses the historical and economic events. It's a good mixture of history, science and culture. Highly recommended.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A step-by-step look at the construction of the Empire State Building. The author does a great job of presenting readers with the foundational history that allows them to understand the major players and the motivation behind such a large project. Numerous photos and illustrations provide visuals for virtually every step of the process.

Overall, a great architectural history of one of America's treasures. Grades 5-8.

[Kallie Krammes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was filled with drawings and also actual photographs to show children what it was like building this enormous building. The information is entertaining even though the cover looks quite dull. A great book for history.

[Rose]

974.7 Man

[Tracy Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my fifth-grader and second-grader as part of our homeschool history studies, and we enjoyed it.

Update- we enjoyed this book again, now with grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. 👍