Skyscrapers!
Super Structures to Design & Build
ISBN 1-885593-50-3 $10.95
Going West!
Journey on a Wagon Train to Settle a Frontier Town
ISBN 1-885593-38-4 $10.95
Benjamin Franklin Silver Award
Bridges!
Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test
ISBN 1-885593-30-9
2000 Parents' Choice Recommended
From Ideals Books
Williamson Publishing Company, Kaleidoscope Kids!® Books
Ages 7-13
The Lewis & Clark Expedition, Skyscrapers!, Going West! and Bridges! were illustrated by
Michael Kline.
Exploring the world around us has never been more delicious than with these two activity books for grades K-3
A Teacher Resource book
for grades 3-6
Choose a book to explore by clicking on its cover...
From The Learning Works
ISBN 0-88160-248-5
ISBN 0-88160-275-2
ISBN 0-88160-242-6
The Lewis & Clark Expedition
Join the Corps of Discovery to Explore Uncharted Territory
ISBN 1-885593-73-2 $12.95
2003 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award
Carol Johmann, Ph.D.
Children's Author
To Order:
Order direct from
Also available online at
2003 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner2003 Best Book (Social Studies K-12)Society of School Librarians InternationalKids get to join the expedition from planning the trip in the East to arriving triumphantly at the Pacific. They build the boats the explorers need, discover what it's like to struggle against a raging Missouri River, and see animals and plants then unknown to science. They'll meet the captains, Sacagawea, York, and the other men of Corps. They'll befriend and barter with Mandans, Nez Perce, and other American Indian nations, and learn their customs. Take the challenge! Join the Corps for the adventure of a lifetime!
The Lewis & Clark Expedition:
Join the Corps of Discovery to
Explore Uncharted Territory
by Carol A. Johmann
illustrated by Michael Kline
Williamson Publishing Company
A Kaleidoscope Kids!® Book
Ages 7-14, 112 pages, index, $12.95
Over 100 illustrations and photos
Published October 2002
ISBN 1-885593-73-2
Reviews
"As the trip proceeds west from Pittsburgh, readers meet the members of the corps, learn about the provisions they needed and the problems they encountered, and discover the historical significance of the expedition. The author includes instructions for how to carve a dugout canoe, do a land survey, and estimate distances using dead reckoning, as William Clark did. The book provides quotes from the actual journals of expedition members...when the travelers became hungry enough to eat their colts, a coyote, and finally candles, Lewis wrote, on day 492: "I feel myself growing weak for the want of food." Think About It" questions invite readers to put themselves in the explorers' shoes, and answer the questions they faced at the time... This one will get kids excited about history."
--- ForeWord Magazine
"Printed in two colors, with many cartoons as well as maps, drawings, photographs, and reproductions of period illustrations, the broad pages have an accessible look. Activities include making a model of a keelboat from balsa wood, measuring a zigzag course by dead reckoning, and building a miniature Mandan earth lodge from sticks, clay, and grass. Lists of recommended books, videos, and Web sites round out the presentation. Teachers will appreciate the many ideas for discussion and hands-on activities, while students will find the book a very approachable introduction to the Lewis and Clark Expedition."
--- BookList
Kids act out the roles of architect and engineer as they plan a model city, design their own skyscraper, and figure out how they're going to wash windows 80 stories high! Chapter by chapter, they'll "take the challenge" -- filling a gaping hole in the ground with a foundation, topping it with a frame of columns and girders, and finishing it off by putting on the skin. They'll construct a working elevator, solve the problem of bracing a skyscraper against the wind, and learn to make tall buildings a pleasure to enter.
Skyscrapers!
Super Structures to Design & Build
by Carol A. Johmann
illustrated by Michael Kline
Williamson Publishing Company
A Kaleidoscope Kids!® Book
Ages 8-14, 96 pages, index, $10.95 US
Over 100 illustrations and photos
Published September 2001
ISBN 1-885593-50-3
Reviews
"Design the Future, Discover the Past. Amateur architects can learn about each stage of skyscraper-making from the planning stage to putting on the "cladding," or exterior, in Skyscrapers! Super Structures to Design and Build ...A brief history of the skyscraper precedes a series of hands-on learning activities, including determining the best foundation and then constructing a frame. The author intersperses information about the Sears Tower, the Woolworth Building and San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid."
--- Publishers Weekly
Grades 3-6 --"From Chicago's Montauk Block, built in 1881, to the Millennium Tower in Tokyo, still in the planning stages, this lively text describes the history and structure of the world's tallest buildings and offers some facts and enticing projects. The well-organized chapters move logically from the earliest planning stages and history of these buildings through structural challenges, demonstrated with both anecdotes and activities, and conclude with a look toward the future. It should be noted that although the World Trade Center is not prominently featured, it is described as a standing skyscraper...Activities include laying a concrete floor with sand, cornstarch, and two Popsicle sticks; testing a building frame made from toothpicks and marshmallows; and building an elevator with a small cardboard box and an empty thread spool...this companion to Johmann and Elizabeth J. Rieth's Bridges! is a solid purchase."
--- Rita Hunt Smith, Hershey Public Library, PA
School Library Journal
"Cartoonlike ink drawings give the book a child-friendly look, while black-and-white photos provide a more realistic view of the subject. Made to encourage hands-on learning, this is an informal looking, yet informative introduction to skyscrapers."
---Carolyn Phelan
Booklist
Get the fever, "Western Fever," that is, and join a family of six as they pull up roots in the East, travel by canal, rail, and steamer to Independence, Missouri, and set off on the Oregon Trail. Buy supplies, build a prairie schooner, craft a treasure trunk, and live a day on the trail. Learn from Native Americans, make life or death decisions, and share adventures with other pioneers on America's historic journey West.
Benjamin Franklin Silver Award
Going West!
Journey on a Wagon Train to Settle a Frontier Town
by Carol A. Johmann & Elizabeth J. Rieth
illustrated by Michael Kline
Williamson Publishing Company
A Kaleidoscope Kids!® Book
Ages 8-14, 96 pages, index, $10.95 US
Over 100 illustrations and photos
Published October 2000
ISBN 1-885593-38-4
Reviews
"A good combination of history lesson, craft instruction, critical-thinking activities, and story. The interweaving of various types of writing, viewpoints, and activities results in an animated and interesting whole that will appeal to readers...the addition of a story is likely to encourage children to read it from cover to cover."
---School Library Journal
"Spurts of friendly, informative narrative relating to different aspects of travel along the Oregon Trail link such projects as building a model prairie schooner and constructing a miniature Fort Laramie."
---Publisher's Weekly
Kids become master bridge builders as they delve into the past of great Roman arches, visit today's longest suspension bridges, and zoom into the future with the latest designs. Along the way, they'll put in a cofferdam, discover how cantilevers work, and learn to site a bridge to preserve the environment. They'll even meet the men and women who build our bridges.
2000 Parents' Choice Recommended
Bridges!
Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test
by Carol A. Johmann & Elizabeth J. Rieth
illustrated by Michael Kline
Williamson Publishing Company
A Kaleidoscope Kids!® Book
Ages 7-14, 96 pages, index, $10.95
Over 100 illustrations and photos
Published October 1999
ISBN 1-885593-30-9
Reviews
"An upbeat blend of science, history, and how-to instructions that will delight children and educators alike. Each chapter consists of numerous short articles, combining historical and technical information on the design and construction of bridges with easy hands-on experiments... Eye-catching photographs and cartoon illustrations abound...This resource will be well thumbed by future generations of bridge builders."
---School Library Journal, starred review
"This informative large-format paperback takes an action-oriented approach to bridges. Children will read entertaining bits of bridge history, from the triumphant to the disastrous...a lively introduction to the history and science of bridges."
---Booklist
