EARTH-FRIENDLY BUILDINGS, BRIDGES AND MORE

This perky, kid-friendly introduction to worldwide "green" construction efforts also happens to be both well-informed and carefully designed for optimal engagement.

Kaner, the Toronto-based winner of numerous nonfiction book awards, introduces readers to Corry Lapont, the clever 12-year narrator of this "Eco-Journal" and an always-curious wayfinder through a brave new world of "smart" architectural projects and principles. Along with Corry and her wiseacre sidekick, kid brother Riley, readers see and learn about site selection, planning, designing, the integration of green engineering solutions (like using rainwater for cooling) and nifty details on the how-tos of constructing eco-friendly structures. Across a series of two-page spreads, Corry explores not only new buildings (domes and skyscrapers) but also such diverse projects as the Vizcaya Bridge (Spain), the English Channel Tunnel and the locks of Ottawa's Rideau Canal, as well as dams, dikes and levees. Veteran illustrator MacEachern's bright, appealing cartoony illustrations merge with well-selected stock photos to expand the concepts. The book also features an easy-to-decode table of contents, a glossary of construction terms and a workable index. Though sustainable architecture is becoming more and more a part of school curriculum and family discussions, there are surprisingly few books available on the topic.

This handsome, information-rich, yet brief illustrated "eco-journal" fills a gap—and more.