Joe and the Skyscraper: The Empire State Building in New York City (Adventures in Architecture)

Looks at the construction of the Empire State Building from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old water boy who worked on the project.

Gr 3-5-Cursory glances at two topics dealing with architecture and construction. Where We Live offers a hodgepodge of facts about the methods and materials humans have used to create shelter for themselves over the ages. Dark type is frequently placed on dark illustrations, and captions and text are often scattered around the double-page spreads. Philip Wilkinson's Building (Knopf, 1995) is broader in scope and presents information in a more interesting and lively manner. Joe and the Skyscraper traces the construction of the Empire State Building through the eyes of a 16-year-old water boy who worked on the project. Original photographs, many by Lewis W. Hine, offer fascinating views from the girders and pulleys. A note tells readers that Joe Carbonelli actually worked on the building but nothing indicates that the events chronicled are based on fact and details are sketchy. Most collections will be better served by Craig A. Doherty's The Empire State Building (Blackbirch, 1997).-Jeanette Larson, Texas State Library, Austin

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