From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-- Mere catalogs of big, mostly manmade structures, including a variety of buildings, equipment, dams, highways, statues, and bridges. Super Structures features 22 of the world's largest structures, while Colossal Constructions highlights 21 large engineering projects . Each edifice or project is accorded one photograph and less than 100 words of description. While some structures are obviously included because they are the largest, tallest, or most complex, others seem to be included only for trivia buffs. The slant is decidedly British ("the largest hangar building in Britain," "Britain's largest single-dish radio telescope," etc.). Statistics make up most of the text, and measurements are given in U. S. and metric. No pronunciation guides or maps are provided, although a few words are defined at the bottom of the page on which the word appears. The mediocre to poor photographs are occasionally confusing, and do little to add to readers' comprehension . Each book ends with an amazing feat of engineering from the animal world. The hodgepodge arrangement and lack of detail make these books unsuitable for reports and of little use even for interested browsers. Encyclopedias provide better information, so pass on these. --Jeanette Larson, Mesquite Public Library, TX
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
