Panama Canal

This was the dream Theodore Roosevelt made happen. But it wasn’t without controversy and challenges, from a U.S.-backed revolution in Panama to bring about its independence from Colombia to creative solutions for solving problems of geography and climate. Kids are sure to be fascinated by the highly illustrated explanation of how locks work to move ships from higher to lower elevations and the reverse as they cross the canal. Many will empathize with workers coping with extreme conditions of heat, humidity, and tropical diseases for wages and living conditions gradated by race and national origin.

Little will help readers appreciate this feat more than finding out about the contributions and inventions of the people involved–a tower and cableway system that made it possible to deliver building materials where they were needed; a sanitation program and sewage system to keep people from dying of disease; technology for digging through volcanic mountains in the canal’s path; and more. From thought experiment to a virtual trip through the canal kids will feel immersed in the process and outcome of this grand project – and its place among the great canals of the world, including the Suez Canal, the Erie Canal and more.