Golden Gate: Building the Mighty Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge, beloved landmark and symbol of San Francisco, finally gets an audiobook that tells the thrilling story of how it was built! Written by National Book Award finalist and Sibert Medal winner Elizabeth Partridge.
Across a treacherous strait where deep ocean waters rip back and forth with the tides, and during the depths of the Great Depression, daring teams of engineers and builders set out to make something many thought impossible.
Begun in 1933 and officially opened on May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge and its awe-inspiring and groundbreaking construction are truly a testament to the power of hope and perseverance. Told from the point of view of the lighthouse keeper’s kids, who watch in fascination as the trucks and crews arrive and steel towers coated in heavy red paint begin to rise above the tempestuous water, Golden Gate shares a thrilling perspective on each stage of the breathtaking project.
Young listeners can learn from text that blends factual details into the narrators’ keen observations. By the final scene, where fireworks explode in celebration over the mighty bridge, the tale is complete—not only of an astonishing feat of engineering but of the potential of human ingenuity to defy the odds and make the impossible possible.
Reviews
"Making playful use of language, Partridge’s immersive, meticulously detailed second-person narration pairs seamlessly with Heck’s intricate, realistic images for a child’s-eye glimpse of the whole thrilling process. Endpapers beautifully mimic the iconic bridge, with close-ups on the reddish-orange steel... A riveting look at an iconic landmark and architectural feat."
"Mixed media illustrations capture the “fog and wind and pounding surf” that are the constant companions of the workers as they pour concrete, string cables, and blast bedrock... A well-researched and excellent addition to STEM classes and library collections."
"Heck divides the spreads horizontally throughout. Larger views above show construction workers at work on various parts of the bridge (“Workers climb/ and clamber, reach, jump, and swing—acrobats/ suspended between water and sky”), while a narrower ribbon below shows the entire site with new additions in the bridge’s signature vermilion, a device that makes every stage of the project clear."
“As the two children lead the inaugural crowd surging onto the finished bridge to the sound of foghorns on a May day in 1937, it’s hard not to join in the giddy rush.”
"Composition and perspective are especially effective in the mixed-media art, with spreads layering expansive shots of the bridge and bay, stretching across the pages, and close-ups, hemmed by the children’s telescope’s lens, of worker activity. Laid over red-orange paper, the illustrations have some red seeping through even the more ocean and sky-focused scenes, giving the pages an almost inner-glow... an immersive read."The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Heck’s textured art, varied compositions, and striking color choices provide the appropriate mood and gravitas for the accomplishment of such a noted architectural wonder and historical landmark.”
"The mixed-media illustrations of this towering picture book give a sense of vista and scale, while also revealing the children’s keen, ongoing interest. A more detailed image along the bottom of each spread exhibits the current stage of work being done in the context of the landscape or from a blueprint perspective."