Iron Horses
About
Welcome aboard! Travel back in time to join the workers of the Union Pacific Railroad as they pounded west and those from the Central Pacific Railroad as they charged east to build the first transcontinental rail line in the United States. They were racing to meet in Utah, and it was high drama all the way. Workers had to burst through rocky outcrops while hanging in baskets and sleep in tents on top of railroad cars or in barracks buried in snow.Bouncy, short verse highlights the steps it took to finally bring the tracks together, and powerful illustrations capture the landscape and the labor.
Why it’s great
Welcome aboard! Travel back in time to join the workers of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads as they raced east and west to meet in Utah, building America's first transcontinental rail line through rocky outcrops and snowbound mountains. Bouncy, short verse highlights the dramatic steps it took to connect a nation, celebrating the engineers, workers, and vision behind one of history's great construction feats.
IMF Parent Metrics
Related Resources
Flora and Tiger: 19 very short stories from my life
Why We Picked It
Nineteen short personal vignettes, each tracing a memory that formed Eric Carle: his father's animals, his father's drawings, his father's stories. A tender, autobiographical glimpse at the life that produced The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Awesome Construction Activities for Kids
Why We Picked It
This hands-on activity book for ages 5 to 10 guides young builders through cup towers, railroad models, and beyond, introducing construction concepts through projects they fully design and complete themselves.
Blood Beneath the Skin
Why We Picked It
This compelling biography explores the brilliance, personal struggles, and fearless creative vision that made Alexander McQueen one of fashion's most original minds.
A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety
Why We Picked It
At ninety, Jimmy Carter reflects on his presidency, his faith, his marriage, and his decades of humanitarian work with disarming frankness, making this New York Times bestseller essential reading for high-schoolers studying American political life.