Synopses & Reviews
To a child, a city is a chaotic, vibrant community whose workings can seem quite mysterious. How did people create subways? How does the water get to the very top of a skyscraper? Is there any organization to a bustling metropolis?
Cities: Discover How They Work will give kids a view into the inner functioning of these urban areas. Theyand#8217;ll learn about all the parts that come together to make cities work and how theyand#8217;ve grown and changed since the very first riverside settlements.
Fascinating sidebars, unique illustrations, Words to Know, and fun Did You Know facts combine with age-appropriate hands-on activities to make learning about complex urban environments fun and reinforce learning. Projects include creating subway cut-aways to understand how transportation systems work, building an aqueduct to learn how cities get water, and experimenting with skyscraper design and water filtration. This STEAM title, which integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and math includes a glossary, list of resources, and index.
Review
Cities: Discover How They WorkBooklist
and#147;Propounding the emerging interdisciplinary paradigm of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and design, and mathematics), this hands-on informational book discusses how citiesand#8217; complex structures and systems function together in an interdependent way. Through appealing illustrations, reader-friendly text, and fun hands-on experiments suitable for home and classroom, Reilly helps foster an appreciation for the way that cities function almost as organisms with vibrant systems and interdependent structures.and#8221;
Praise for other titles by Kate Reilly
Explore Weather and Climate!
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA.org)
"This book provides children and teachers with 25 activities related to weather and climate. If your curriculum includes these topics, this book may be ideal. . . The userand#150;friendly format combined with the low reading vocabulary makes the book easy for students to navigate."
Food: 25 Amazing Projects Investigate the History and Science of What We Eat
Children's Literature
"One of 20 books in the 'Build It Yourself' series, this edition discusses the history and culture of food in an interesting format. With obesity in young people on the rise, they need all the information possible to make wise food choices. This book is perfect to get them thinking about the subject. "
Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself
Booklist
"Both comprehensive and approachable, this title combines explanations of science concepts and environmental issues with hands-on projects."
Review
Cities: Discover How They WorkChildren's Literature
". . . Reillyand#8217;s book delivers on its promise to make learning about complex urban environments fun. . . a good addition to an upper elementary or middle school curriculum on the history of urban development, urban sociology, current issues in city planning or management and city planning for the future."
Winner of a 2014 Silver Moonbeam Award
School Library Journal
and#147; According to the 2010 Census. 80% of Americans line in urban areas. But do they know what it takes to make a city run? From this well-organized and engaging text, readers will learn how cities developed and grew. . . this is a worthy title for any library collection.and#8221;
Booklist
and#147;Propounding the emerging interdisciplinary paradigm of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and design, and mathematics), this hands-on informational book discusses how citiesand#8217; complex structures and systems function together in an interdependent way. Through appealing illustrations, reader-friendly text, and fun hands-on experiments suitable for home and classroom . . .and#8221;
Ithaca Child
". . . If you're looking for something different to do this summer, use the activities in this book to explore any city you visit."
Bookloons
". . . Both teachers and homeschooling parents will find this a very useful book which integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and math in a very practical and interesting manner in the study of cities."
Susan Anderson, director, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland, Oregon
and#147;This book does a wonderful job helping children understand how cities work, why they were created in the first place, and how cities might evolve in the future.and#8221;
Alessandra Gorini, Co-Founder, Executive Director, Y4PT?(Youth for Public Transport), International Association of Public Transport, Brussels, Belgium
and#147;Presents a vision of spaces to young people that cities are the expression of humanity, not just an agglomeration of concrete.and#8221;
Praise for other titles by Kate Reilly
Explore Weather and Climate!
National Science Teachers Association
"This book provides children and teachers with 25 activities related to weather and climate. If your curriculum includes these topics, this book may be ideal. . . The userand#150;friendly format combined with the low reading vocabulary makes the book easy for students to navigate."
Food: 25 Amazing Projects Investigate the History and Science of What We Eat
Children's Literature
"One of 20 books in the 'Build It Yourself' series, this edition discusses the history and culture of food in an interesting format. With obesity in young people on the rise, they need all the information possible to make wise food choices. This book is perfect to get them thinking about the subject. "
Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself
Booklist
"Both comprehensive and approachable, this title combines explanations of science concepts and environmental issues with hands-on projects."
2008 Moonbeam Children's Book Award
Parent's Choice Foundation Recommended>
2009 Moonbeam Children's Book Award For Energy: Investigate Why We Need Power and How We Get It
Synopsis
Giving young readers a view into the inner workings of urban areas, this guide educates kids about all the parts that come together to make cities work by answering such questions as, How did people create subways? How does the water get to the very top of a skyscraper? and Is there any organization to a bustling metropolis? Fascinating sidebars, unique illustrations, Words to Know, and Did You Know facts combine with age-appropriate, hands-on activities to make learning about complex urban environments fun while reinforcing learning. Projects include subway cutaways and interactive games, building a lemon battery, an aqueduct, and a skyscraper, as well as hydroponic gardening and water filtration. Additional materials include a glossary and a list of current reference works, websites, and internet resources.
About the Author
Kathleen Reilly has written several books for Nomad Press, including
Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself; The Human Body: 25 Fantastic Projects Illuminate How the Body Works; Explore Weather and Climate! with 25 Projects; and
Natural Disasters: Investigate Earthand#8217;s Most Destructive Forces with 25 Projects. She is an award-winning author of several other science books for kids and is a contributor to dozens of publications, including
Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Family Fun, National Geographic Kids, and
Parents. Kate lives in Raleigh, NC.
Tom Casteel is an illustrator and cartoonist with a master's degree from the Center for Cartoon Studies. Tom has illustrated several books for Nomad Press, including Natural Disasters: Investigate Earthand#8217;s Most Destructive Forces with 25 Projects. He is working on his first graphic novel. Tom lives in South Bend, IN.
Table of Contents
Introduction: What Makes a City a City?
Chapter 1: The Birth of a City
Chapter 2: Cities Grow Up
Chapter 3: Bringing Power to the People
Chapter 4: Water Challenges
Chapter 5: Getting Around Above Ground
Chapter 6: Getting Around Underground
Chapter 7: Urbanization
Chapter 8: Whoand#8217;s in Charge?
Chapter 9: Cities and Nature
Chapter 10: Each City Is Unique
Glossary
Resources
Index