Mr. Ferris and His Wheel
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel
Select a format:
Perma-Bound Edition ©2025--
Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover ©2014--
Publisher's Hardcover ©2014--
Paperback ©2025--
To purchase this item, you must first login or register for a new account.
Houghton Mifflin
Annotation: Describes how the engineer George Ferris invented the famous carnival attractionfor the renowned 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
Genre: [Biographies]
 
Reviews: 5
Catalog Number: #106175
Format: Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover
Common Core/STEAM: STEAM STEAM Common Core Common Core
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Copyright Date: 2014
Edition Date: 2014 Release Date: 09/02/14
Pages: 1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN: Publisher: 0-547-95922-2 Perma-Bound: 0-605-89138-9
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-547-95922-1 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-89138-8
Dewey: 921
LCCN: 2013050147
Dimensions: 26 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Starred Review Ten months before the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, there was still no centerpiece to rival that of the previous fair's Eiffel Tower. Enter young engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., who had a vision of a structure not only tall but also rigged for motion. Having no better choices, fair organizers begrudgingly accepted his proposal but offered not a cent of funding. With but four months to go, George scrambled for funding and materials, most of it a newfangled metal called "steel," including a 70-ton axle, "the largest piece of steel ever forged." The harried workers struggled with frozen Chicago ground, unexpected quicksand, more than 100,000 parts, and, most of all, the derision of onlookers who found the spindly-looking contraption undignified and sure to collapse in high winds. But it didn't ther, it ascended heavenward into both day and night skies, offering unparalleled views from its posh living-room-sized passenger cars. Like Mr. Ferris' invention, Davis' picture-book bio soars, inspires, and keeps (the pages) ever turning, matching the gregarious text to smaller, often tech-based side comments. Ford's impressionistic, wine-colored washes blend a fantastical mood with a staggering sense of mechanical scale. It's tough to awe readers with a ride with which they are so familiar, but Davis and Ford pull it off. Grab your tickets; here we go.

Horn Book

George Ferris wanted a magnificent, moving symbol for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. But Ferris received little encouragement and had to develop his invention without outside financing and by overcoming numerous unforeseen problems. The straightforward account includes some awkward tangential facts. Ford's digital art with ink and watercolor nicely highlights the finished edifice against a night sky. Websites. Bib.

School Library Journal (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

K-Gr 3 It's almost time for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and American architects are hoping to design a star attraction to rival the French Eiffel Tower. Mechanical engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. has a daring idea: a huge, round, moving structure made from steel, a new metal unrivaled in both lightness and strength. After overcoming obstacles ranging from mockery to quicksand, Ferris and his team finally complete their wheel, which delights fairgoers and goes on to become a staple of fairgrounds around the world. Librarians familiar with Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City (Random, 2002) already know this story, but the focus here is less on the Chicago World's Fair and more on the process involved in building a mechanical marvel. Details such as why support structures were necessary and how tension wheels work will engage emerging engineers, while those with a less scientific bent can nevertheless appreciate the excitement felt by the Ferris Wheel's very first passengers. The primary story is told in an easy-to-read serif font, and secondary details are added in smaller sans-serif sections. A purple-dominated color scheme contrasts with occasional greens and yellows, although the placement of text in low-contrast areas sometimes interferes with readability. Overall, the modernist look, inherently interesting topic, and strong documentation (including quotations from primary sources) make this title a positive addition, especially those looking to enhance their nonfiction offerings in view of new Common Core standards. Jill Ratzan, I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School, Somerset, NJ

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Horn Book
School Library Journal (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references.
Word Count: 1,776
Reading Level: 5.1
Interest Level: K-3
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.1 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 168154 / grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:6.2 / points:3.0 / quiz:Q64350
Lexile: 900L

Science, history, and engineering combine in this uplifting nonfiction picture book about the invention of the world’s most iconic amusement park ride, the Ferris wheel.

Capturing an engineer’s creative vision and mind for detail, this fully illustrated picture book biography sheds light on how the American inventor George Ferris defied gravity and seemingly impossible odds to invent the world’s most iconic amusement park attraction, the Ferris wheel.

A fun, fact-filled text by Kathryn Gibbs Davis combines with Gilbert Ford’s dazzling full-color illustrations to transport readers to the 1893 World’s Fair, where George Ferris and his big, wonderful wheel lifted passengers to the skies for the first time.


*Prices subject to change without notice and listed in US dollars.
Perma-Bound bindings are unconditionally guaranteed (excludes textbook rebinding).
Paperbacks are not guaranteed.
Please Note: All Digital Material Sales Final.