Construction Zone - Hardcover

CHERYL WILLIS HUDSON is the author of numerous books for children, including the popular AFRO-BETS® A B C BOOK, MANY COLORS OF MOTHER GOOSE, and HANDS CAN. She also has more than twenty-five years of experience in graphic design and art direction. In 1988, she and her husband, Wade Hudson, founded Just Us Books, a leading publisher of Black interest titles for young people. "Working on this book was fascinating and challenging," she says of CONSTRUCTION ZONE. "My job was to help choose the photos and match them with simple words that would explain a very complex process and answer the ‘building' questions that come from a child's point of view. But ultimately, Richard Sobol's expert journalistic eye provided the answers, because each of his photographs tells a wonderful story in itself."

RICHARD SOBOL, whose photographs have appeared in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, TIME, NEWSWEEK, LIFE, OUTSIDE, AUDUBON, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, and numerous other magazines, has been a photojournalist for more than twenty- five years. For CONSTRUCTION ZONE, he spent three years observing and documenting the construction of MIT's Stata Center, designed by celebrated architect Frank O. Gehry. "I was usually on the site about twice a week," he says. "I loved walking on the scaffolding, learning to stay sure-footed and stable as buckets of masonry, mud, or lag bolts passed by me." This is Richard Sobol's first book with Candlewick Press.

Full-color photographs and often lyrical prose document the real-life construction of a building--from architectural plans to finishing touches. In simple declarative sentences, Hudson introduces the diverse people, equipment, and construction activities, interjecting lively commentary along the way. Specialized vocabulary (excavate, rebar, etc.) appears in boldface and is effectively defined at the bottom of the page in small type. Photos range from small close-ups to awesome two-page spreads picturing the city and the men and women of the culturally diverse crew. It's hard to resist the excitement of cranes hoisting steel beams; the intricate mazes of pipes, cables, and wires; and the dramatic reveal of the completed structure lit up against the night sky. Sobol's endnote provides background on the photos and thoughts about the building process, which reinforce Hudson's underlying idea: construction is "dozens of people working together to solve a great puzzle." Pair with Mordecai Gerstein's The Man Who Walked between the Towers (2003) and Dietrich Neumann's Joe and the Skyscraper (2000). Shelle Rosenfeld
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