Booklist
I have eight titles and teach youngsters about historic landmarks . . .What am I? The new American Place Puzzlers series, of course! In these guessinggamestyle installments, each flip of the page introduces a declarative one or twosentence clue and a corresponding doublepage photo (complete with sneaky puzzlepieceshaped gaps). Although the penultimate spread reveals the mystery location, concludingFast Facts andWhere Am I? pages offer comprehensive statistics, including historical context, maps, measurements, and one extracompellingCool Fact. The quiteliteral Colossal and Concrete acquaints young readers with the Hoover Dam. Built between 1931 and 1936 in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, the dam comprises hundreds of fivefoottallcolossal concrete blocks. Green and Spiky presents the Statue of Liberty, accentuating her copper exterior, tablet and torchbearing hands, and 377step spiral staircase along the way. Historic and Lively showcases the most obscure destination of the bunch, Colonial Williamsburg. Though Williamsburg was founded in 1632, this land of cannons and horsedrawn carriages first opened as a tourist destination in 1932. White and Majestic highlights - ”you guessed it - ”the White House, 132 rooms and all! Though back matter is often more informative than the preceding clues, each book's simple sentences, engaging layout, and mystery infused approach will have beginning readers and budding history buffs raring to crack the case.
School Library Journal
These attractive volumes introduce young readers to historical sites across the United States. Using simple, easytoread text, the authors present modern engineering feats, like the Hoover Dam and the Statue of Liberty, piece by piece. All of the titles follow a similar format: readers are given multiple photographic and narrative clues ( - œI am painted orange,My base is stone and concrete) before the big reveal. The images are saturated with color, and the hints provided are solid. VERDICT: A lively, interactive way to get youngsters interested in history and geography.
