How Science Saved the Eiffel Tower

By Emma Bland Smith and Lia Visirin

“One of the few picture-book biographies celebrating the work of an engineer, this volume tells the little-known story of a man who left his mark upon the world." —Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

The city of Paris wanted to tear down the Eiffel Tower! Gustave Eiffel, an engineer and amateur scientist, had built the incredible structure for the 1889 World's Fair. Created using cutting-edge technology, it stood taller than any other building in the world! More than a million delighted people flocked to visit it during the fair. But the officials wondered, beyond being a spectacle, what is it good for? It must come down! But Eiffel loved his tower. He crafted a clever plan to make the tower too useful to tear down by turning it into "a laboratory such as science has never had at its disposal." As the date for the tower's demolition approached, Eiffel raced to prove its worth. Could science save the Eiffel Tower?

Find out in this extraordinary picture book by award-winning author Emma Bland Smith (Mr. McCloskey’s Marvelous Mallards, The Gardener of Alcatraz). With delightful illustrations, an engaging narrative, and little-known facts, How Science Saved the Eiffel Tower is sure to be a hit with soon-to-be scientists, engineers, and history buffs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684465187

Emma Bland Smith

Emma Bland Smith is the award-winning author of thirteen books for children. Her first book, Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West, won Bank Street College’s Cook Prize and Northland College’s SONWA award. Emma is a librarian and lives in San Francisco with her husband, two kids, dog, and cat. Emma finds inspiration in the beautiful world around her, and believes that one of the best things about being an author is getting to visit wonderful places--and then craft stories about them. Visit her online at emmabsmith.com and on Twitter at @emmablandsmith.

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Reviews for How Science Saved the Eiffel Tower

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an informative, delightful book complete with colorful, ingenious illustrations by Lia Visirin! The storyline takes us through planning, construction, and politics of the project. Even when the public clearly wanted the tower to remain, politicians were obstructive. So M. Eiffel began thinking outside the box and came up with several beneficial projects to incorporate into the tower. As you know, the politicians lost and we all continue to win due to the ingenuity of M. Eiffel! A wonderful book to give and to share.I requested and received a free temporary e-book copy from Capstone/Capstone Editions via NetGalley. Thank you!