The Industrial Revolution for Kids

June 15, 2014
The latest installment in the For Kids series spans the early 1800s to the early 1900s in the United States, covering 100 years of revolutionary changes in manufacturing, transportation and communication.It was a century of contradictions. Railroads crossed the continent, automobiles puttered along new roadways, skyscrapers soared toward the heavens, and some men made fabulous fortunes-while workers in mines, mills, meatpacking houses and sweatshops labored in stifling conditions to support the new economies. And piles of garbage, lakes of sewer water and lurking diseases made life in cities difficult for those who had to live there. Parents and teachers can relive the times with children by selecting from the 21 activities that supplement the text. They can design their own tenement spaces, make gruel just like that served in orphanages and weave placemats similar to baskets woven in houses of refuge. Dense, text-heavy pages make the historical narrative heavy going, but the well-chosen archival photographs and informative sidebars draw the eye to an easier parallel narrative. And activities such as "Tell a Story with Photographs" may just inspire children to learn more about the work of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine.Presents a huge amount of history in a format easy for browsing. (resources, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-The causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution are complex and many, and Mullenbach does a terrific job of streamlining the topic for children. She begins with a brief definition of the Industrial Revolution and then, over the course of seven well-organized chapters, analyzes the changes in manufacturing, transportation, and communication. The inclusion of excerpts from primary-source documents (such as letters and diaries written by kids) lends the book immediacy and personality. As a result, students of today gain perspective on the impact of the Industrial Revolution on everyday people: the wild disparity of lifestyle between the rich and poor, the way new technologies made life easier for some and harder on others, and so on. The writing style is engaging, and the archival photographs (many of which depict children) and ephemera are well curated. The usefulness and/or feasibility of the activities scattered throughout is questionable (making gruel; creating an early 1900s diary using a laundry list of materials that includes a kitchen blender, a hair dryer, an iron and ironing board, and a window screen). What shines through is the author's ability to express through words and images the breakneck pace of change and the myriad people, places, and events that contributed to it.-Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC

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