This poetic picture book informs readers about the lives of the men that helped to build America. From the train tracks, bridges, waterways and bridges! I love that the book addressed the many different ethnicities of people that helped to build America. The Illustrations are simple but breath taking.

I think this is a great book to share with students when discussing social studies. It can tie into American history, the great migration, exploration and so much more. ( )

This poetic tribute praises and remembers the men, "the fathers," who built the bridges, railroads, roads, and buildings in America. They came from far away, looked ahead to linking the waters, moving the earth, channeling the swamps, and creating walls of steel, and when they were done, they'd say "Ain't that something." Moser's large, dramatic, sun-bleached watercolors depict young men in undershirts, far-looking old men in beaten-up hats, Native American skywalkers, African-American drillers and muleskinners, all seen working against the pale blue washed sky. Readers may be intrigued by the book's suggestion that perhaps a relative of theirs could have been a builder long ago and ask about their own family history. The endnote states that oral tradition remembers many cultures at work building and that women who are not mentioned in the text nonetheless labored along with men. It is elegantly and symbolically illustrated with an old man in dress shoes and a suit resting peacefully in a hammock.
TCI LESSON 4: A TRAIN TOUR OF THE NORTHEAST

This is a good book for young children. It teaches them about the men that built our country. It also has some great pictures in it. I would share this book with pre-k to 3rd grade. ( )

This was a wonderfully written piece of poetry, beautifully illustrated by Barry Moser. This was my Angela Johnson read, but I assure you it won't be my last. This was a great book. Really worth the time it takes to read, not more than a couple of minutes really. This is one of those texts in which the author obviously chose her words carefully and the end result is outstanding. There is a note after the text briefly describing the the subject of the text, and even that is nicely put. Great book. ( )