The history and uses of concrete, with a focus on how concrete “recipes” have changed over time and across continents, starts with the basics: Concrete is made of stone, sand, and water, glued together with cement. The text moves on to describe concrete at various times and in various places, ranging from a concrete-like floor dating to 9600 BCE in Turkey to the construction of Machu Picchu by Incans in the Andes Mountains. More recent uses of concrete include the Berlin Wall, the Sydney Opera House, the 4x4 House in Japan, and Zaha Hadid’s design for the Heydar Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan. Milestones in concrete’s evolution include civil engineer John Smeaton’s creation of a new recipe for concrete that allowed it to harden under water and the introduction of concrete reinforced with steel rods, which revolutionized building possibilities. Clear writing, moments of understated humor, and detailed illustrations that expand the text combine for a fascinating look at an everyday material. (Ages 7-11)

A stylish, eye-opening, utterly engaging, and often wry look at one of the marvels of the material world, from the ground up.


From a lowly mixture of stone, sand, water, and cement have sprung sidewalks, streets, and skyscrapers, sturdy lighthouses and magnificent palaces, long bridges and massive dams. In ancient building practices, in modern engineering, and in the architecture of the future, humble concrete plays a mighty role in the creation of the human-made world. Brimming with facts and spiced with clever running narrative in the form of repartee-filled speech bubbles, Concrete is as intimate and entertaining as it is informative and visually sweeping. Curious readers of all ages—from would-be engineers to science and history buffs to retro-design lovers—will delight in this bold, one-of-a-kind guide to the (literal) bedrock of civilization, amplified by a bibliography in the back matter.