Concrete: From the Ground Up by Larissa Theule, Steve Light
Published by Candlewick Press on September 13, 2022
ISBN: 1536212504
Pages: 48
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

In the suggested subtitle category: “Everything You Should Know About Concrete but Didn’t Know to Ask”. This nonfiction picture book is an homage to concrete’s fascinating history and its ability to outlast its creators by millennia. Strong, declarative sentences accompanied by similarly expressive pen and ink drawings carry the story. “By now, people are getting pretty good at using concrete. They’re even having fun with it.” The cartoonish illustrations with speech bubbles, side bars, and asides are reminiscent of The Way Things Work by David Macaulay.

Theule does a very good job of defining unfamiliar words within the text . . . . “Romans used pozzolana in their cement. Pozzolana is a volcanic ash.” The story gets a little sidetracked with the introduction of Roman emperors and Hadrian. The back matter contains a bibliography of the author’s many interesting sources of information. A timeline would have been helpful here but overall, this is a great example of nonfiction writing that captures the reader’s attention with the right balance of fact and whimsy, a wonderful combination of fact and narrative. Highly recommended for libraries with curious builders (and readers).

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS
Young School Librarian, Saco