Product Description

Panama was less than 50 miles wide, yet difficult to bridge by canal -- its swamps were disease-ridden, its mountainous rain forest challenged the most brilliant engineers, and its oppressive heat exhausted the hardiest workers. Engineers found ways to cut through the forest, medical visionaries conquered the diseases, and workers endured the jungle. Yet there were also broken treaties, political tyranny, and the tragedy of thousands of West Indian workers forced to live in awful, segregated conditions.

Wonders of the World series

The winner of numerous awards, this series is renowned for Elizabeth Mann's ability to convey adventure and excitement while revealing technical information in engaging and easily understood language. The illustrations are lavishly realistic and accurate in detail but do not ignore the human element. Outstanding in the genre, these books are sure to bring even the most indifferent young reader into the worlds of history, geography, and architecture.

"One of the ten best non-fiction series for young readers."
- Booklist

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #355400 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-A solid, approachable introduction to the often amazing story of the Panama Canal, complete with full-color illustrations and historical photos. Mann traces the starts and stops of the undertaking from its French origins to its completion by the Americans, fueled throughout by the labor of workers from all over the world. The construction of the canal, with its locks and dams, is not an easy subject to relate. However, the author manages to render the technical language in the simplest of terms. She also addresses the unfair working and living conditions of the many laborers from the Caribbean. A pull-out illustration of how the canal works is included. Tim McNeese's The Panama Canal (Lucent, 1997) is more thorough, but for younger readers, Mann's book more than suffices.
Carol Fazioli, The Brearley School, New York City, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Mann (The Great Wall, 1997, etc.) offers the older end of the picture-book set a concrete, engaging narrative on another of the man-made wonders of the world. Opening her tale with the failure of the French, under Ferdinand de Lesseps, to construct their own canal in Panama, Mann quickly moves into the details of President Teddy Roosevelt's obsession with the project; he broke international law by encouraging and aiding Panama's rebellion for independence in 1903. The resulting treatythough unfair to Panamagave Roosevelt all the leverage he needed, and despite yellow fever and malaria, America soon poured thousands of workers and millions of dollars into this enterprise. While there were excellent living conditions for American workers in Panama, those conditions were not duplicated for Caribbean laborers: ``Black Caribbeans suffered a higher rate of death from accidents and disease than any other group.'' Rangel's lavish full-color illustrations capture the immense scale of the canal's construction, from the damming of the Chagres River to the construction of the locks on a four-page, fold-out spread. Mann and Rangel have created an exceptional resource for the classroom, as well as an epic piece of storytelling. (maps, diagrams, index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
This engaging narrative is full of history, public health issues, jungles, heroes, genius and danger. (Betsy Daley Waterbury Republican-American )

An exceptional resource for the classroom, as well as an epic piece of storytelling. (Kirkus Reviews )

Customer Reviews

Engineering triumphs of many different types
The Panama Canal was an incredible triumph of engineering and the final move towards completion was a patently illegal action by U. S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer who had built the Suez Canal was attempting to build the canal across Panama, but the company that he headed eventually abandoned the project in disgrace. At that time, Panama was a state in Columbia and President Roosevelt tried to get the Columbians to sign a treaty ceding the rights to a canal to the United States. When he considered the conditions demanded by the Columbians to be too onerous, he supported a "rebellion" in Panama that led to independence from Columbia. A treaty was then signed and the Americans started work on the canal.
The problems that had to be overcome were substantial, and they are very well detailed in this book. The damming of the Chagres River to make the 164 square mile reservoir Gatun Lake was a stroke of genius as it created a large waterway and provided a source of water to run the locks. I was surprised to learn that there are only 12 locks in the canal. A lot of this is due to the enormous amount of earth that was moved to create the Culebra cut, a ditch 272 feet deep and wide enough for ocean-going ships to pass through. It also requires 52 million gallons of water for a ship to go through the canal.
However, the greatest single problem to be solved had nothing to do with moving earth. It was the battle against the jungle and the associated tropical diseases. All of this is explained in great detail, including the solutions to these problems. This is an excellent way for children to learn how the Panama Canal was created and I recommend it to everyone who teaches history to children.

The Panama Canal - A simplistic View
The Panama Canal (49 pages) by Elizabeth Mann is a well written book containing the very basic information about the canal. My disappointment is that the book was set in oversized type and every other page was an illustration. It was interesting and very easy reading. The book would be best suited for a pre-high school student.

for children and adults
The illustrations in this book are so good that I have offered it to my husband as a "ready made diary" of our trip to the Panama canal. The pictures capture all the beauty and the technological marvel of the canal. The book is an excellent visit in an armchair.