Canals and Dams ─ Investigate Feats of Engineering

Inviting children to explore the innovation and physical science behind structures the world depends on, this interactive book contains trivia and fun facts that illustrate engineering ingenuity and achievements from ancient aqueducts to the Suez Canal and the Hoover Dam. Readers will discover that engineers and builders alike put their lives on the line to advance civilization, experiencing triumphs and tragedies in building big. Through dazzling success and heartbreaking failure, they developed increasingly sophisticated tools and building methods. Activities and projects encourage children to explore the engineering process and to try, try again through trial and error. They will engage in hands-on explorations of buoyancy, Newton’s Third Law of Motion, and forces that push and pull structures. Projects include creating a paper-cup zip line, building an arch, and simulating a tsunami while experimenting with gravity, hydroponics, and velocity. Through this book, children will gain an appreciation for the important field of engineering as they develop their own building skills.

Donna Latham is an award-winning author and playwright. She is the author of Amazing Biome Projects You Can Build Yourself, Backyard Biology, Deciduous Forests, Deserts, Garbage, Norah Jones, Oceans, Respiration and Photosynthesis, Savannas and Grasslands, and Tundra. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Society of Midland Authors. She lives in Batavia, Illinois. Andrew Christensen is a graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies and an art director at a hobby game company. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.