Those Building Men

by Angela Johnson, Barry Moser (Illustrator)

The author of Heaven recalls the unheralded men--mostly new immigrants--whose labors served to build the canals, roads, railroads, bridges, and towering buildings of the United States.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Construction, Childrens, Historical, Nonfiction, History

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.

Reviews

[Erin Reilly-Sanders]

I was drawn to this book by the art, notably the picture of a bridge that spans the cover and is reprised inside on a to page spread. This picture turned out to be perfect for a presentation I was giving- bold and appealing vague with greenish black objects in almost silhouette with shades of yellow in the distant hills and sky beyond. It's still one of my favorites in the book but I think that Barry Moser's careful hand keeps the watercolors focused throughout the book while maintaining a sense of light and beauty. Johnson's words are lovely and poetic but I'm not sure that my mental rendition of them to myself is really up to par and I wonder if it needs a better reader with ideas of the pacing or if they are at times a bit disjointed. The theme is one that will interest children and while no women are portrayed the diversity of race and gender is mentioned in a nice author's note at the end. I particularly like that the text is trim and will keep the attention of a child while exposing them to beautiful language and art.

[Matthew]

This was a wonderfully written piece of poetry, beautifully illustrated by Barry Moser. This was my Angela Johnson read, but I assure you it won't be my last. This was a great book. Really worth the time it takes to read, not more than a couple of minutes really. This is one of those texts in which the author obviously chose her words carefully and the end result is outstanding. There is a note after the text briefly describing the the subject of the text, and even that is nicely put. Great book.

[Marcie]

This book could be used as kids are looking for topics to research in terms of the building of our country.

[Courtney]

This is a great hybrid book; the story is beautifully illustrated to resemble the lifelike men that built the roads, bridges, railroads and buildings. In the back is an author’s note that talks about the importance of these men. This would be a great book to use when talking about the big buildings or bridges in a community or in a science lesson about building and architecture.

[Cbad]

Words and pictures portray the working class in an honorable light. Proud men providing for their families and young men helping build America.

[BiblioBeruthiel]

I like what this says to adults but the depth of this would not really be understood by kids imo.

[Claire]

Wonderful picture book - informative and poetic at the same time.

[Sean Stevens]

nice watercolors of men building and building and building haha

[Lindsey Adams]

The illustrations throughout the book were. really amazing. I think this book is for more advanced readers or older children, but if this were to be a part of a read-aloud, the students would really enjoy this. This was about early building in America, this was a huge lesson about architecture.

[Tracy]

I love bridges, buildings and the glory of American roadways. This is a nice tribute to the men who built modern America's infrastructure. Moser's illustrations are dependably beautiful, but one or two are just stunning. I recommend it for those who love to cross bridges and for Barry Moser fans.

[Amy Sheridan]

A little boy (and girl) book parents - and, I'd wager- Grandfathers especially will enjoy reading aloud. Simply and beautifully written words about the pride of "fathers" who built the railroads, moved the earth, got sunburned, and erected the skyscrapers.

[The Brothers]

An homage to all those men who came before us to build the infrastructure of this great nation - from interstates to skyscrapers.

Okay illustrations - I was hoping for a little more building and a little less portraits of men.

[Miriam]

i bought this just for barry moser illustrations, but the poem is simply beautiful, too.