Amazing Transport: Journey through the history of transport by Tom Jackson

Illus. by Chris Mould. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408889770.
(Age: 8-12) Highly recommended Subjects: Transport-history, Aircraft - History, Trains, Ships, Cars. Travel back in time to the beginning of transportation. The first boats were built over seven thousand years ago and have transitioned through man power, wind power to steam engines up to the mighty ocean liners. Every type of transport is wonderfully presented. In Amazing Transport, author Tom Jackson presents detailed descriptions, exciting discoveries and engaging facts from across the globe and through history.
In Overground and Underground read about the Corinthian ships hauled overland on the Dioklos trackway, the 1515 Austrian funicular built to cross above the mountains. Where would we be without the wheel? From carts to Central Asian chariots, a steam-powered Hippo-mobile to Henry Ford's Model T, the age of cars has revolutionised travel.
Balloons lifts our eyes skyward, from Montgolfiers' wood-fired balloon flight to the 1999 Breitling Orbiter that flew around the world for twenty days without stopping to land. Human power showcases bicycles through the ages, from models without brakes, push pedals, bone-shakers, BMX sports bikes to the Olympic superbikes and streamlined helmets.
Chris Mould's outstanding illustrations soar, dive, dig and sail across the spreads, and black and white detailed images provide a visual panorama. Add humourous characters, inventors stepping over clouds, Apollo 11 astronauts walking on the moon, racing cars and an array of ships swirling in a whirlpool: there's so much to view and explore. A timeline border presents key dates and facts that can be matched with a caricature and type of transport. Amazing Transport is a fabulous resource for History and STEM units in both the Primary and Secondary school. Families will enjoy sharing both the engaging information and delving into the wonderful depictions of transport through time.
Rhyllis Bignell