Davis, Kathryn Gibbs. 2014. Mr. Ferris and his Wheel. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Illustrated by Gilbert Ford.
Though written in a fully illustrated, engaging and narrative nonfiction style, Mr. Ferris and his Wheel is nevertheless, a well-sourced and researched picture book for older readers.
The story of the 1863, Chicago World's Fair debut of the world's first Ferris wheel (or Monster Wheel, as Mr. Ferris originally named it), is told in a flowing and entertaining style,
George arrived in Chicago and made his case to the construction chief of the fair.The chief stared at George's drawings. No one had ever created a fair attraction that huge and complicated. The chief told George that his structure was "so flimsy it would collapse."George had heard enough. He rolled up his drawings and said, "You are an architect, sir. I am an engineer."George knew something the chief did not. His invention would be delicate-looking and strong. It would be both stronger and lighter than the Eiffel Tower because it would be built with an amazing new metal—steel.
and
it contains sidebars that impart more technical information that might otherwise interrupt the flow of the story,
George was a steel expert, and his structure would be made of a steel alloy. Alloys combine a super-strong mix of a hard metal with two or more chemical elements.
George Ferris' determination is a story in itself, but it is the engineering genius of his wheel that steals the show. A "must-have" for any school or public library.
Some facts about the original "Ferris" wheel:
- 834' in circumference
- 265' above the ground
- 3,000 electric lightbulbs (this itself was a marvel in 1893!)
- forty velvet seats per car
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| Ferris wheel at the Chicago World's Fair c1893. Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division[/caption] |
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