Golden Gate

The Golden Gate Bridge, beloved landmark and symbol of San Francisco, finally gets a gorgeous picture book that tells the thrilling story of how it was built! Written by National Book Award finalist and Sibert Medal winner Elizabeth Partridge. Across a treacherous strait where deep ocean waters rip back and forth with the tides, and during the depths of the Great Depression, daring teams of engineers and builders set out to make something many thought impossible. Begun in 1933 and officially opened on May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge and its awe-inspiring and groundbreaking construction are truly a testament to the power of hope and perseverance. Told from the point of view of the lighthouse keeper’s kids, who watch in fascination as the trucks and crews arrive and steel towers coated in heavy red paint begin to rise above the tempestuous water, Golden Gate shares a thrilling visual perspective on each stage of the breathtaking project. Young readers can look and learn as each turn of the page reveals dazzling, color-soaked artwork paired with text that blends factual details into the narrators’ keen observations. By the final spread, where fireworks explode in celebration over the mighty bridge, the tale is complete—not only of an astonishing feat of engineering but of the potential of human ingenuity to defy the odds and make the impossible possible.

Elizabeth Partridge has lived near the Golden Gate Bridge all her life. Driving or walking across the strong steel bridge, suspended between sky and water, always thrills her. The author of many books, Elizabeth is a National Book Award finalist and has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, ALA’s Printz Honor Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and the Sibert Medal. She lives in Berkeley with her three-generation family, two dogs, and the world’s shyest cat. For more information, please visit elizabethpartridge.com. Ellen Heck is a printmaker who also makes picture books, including her debut, A is for Bee. She has lived in eight states but now calls North Carolina home. She enjoys reading children’s books, poetry, and pop science non-fiction, traveling, and spending time with her family. Learn more at ellenheck.com