Product Description

Award-winning author-illustrator—and captivating storyteller—David Macaulay (The Way Things Work) goes to extremes with five really big adventures that explore the greatest manmade wonders of the world. The series introduces the courageous creators and builders and reveals the deadly disasters and personal triumphs behind these breathtaking structures. Spectacular film footage, dramatic recreations and David’s unique illustrations excite, explain and entertain in a big way. • Tower above the clouds on the Golden Gate; build the Brooklyn Bridge; and explore Europe’s groundbreaking spans in • See how dams change not only the course of rivers, but the course of history as well, in an adventure that reaches from the top of the Hoover Dam to the banks of the Nile in Dams; Discover 2000 years of architectural wonders as Domes explores the Houston Astrodome, St. Peter’s Cathedral, the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller, and more • Go to the top of the skyline for tall tales about Skyscrapers including Chicago’s Sears Tower, New York’s Empire State Building and Malaysia’s record-setting Petronas Towers • Be a "mole" in Boston’s "Big Dig;" explore the "Chunnel;" and go deep under New York’s Hudson River for a wild look at Tunnels • Bonus Activities! Join Kenny and Caroline from the PBS kids’ show ZOOM and other kids and their parents as they build five scaled-down structures using only common household items like straws, masking tape, and newspaper

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Humankind's compulsion to build big has left the world dotted with eyesores as well as artful, awe-inspiring structures (there's the Holland Tunnel, and then there's the Sistine Chapel), and it's about time somebody set the record straight on the whens, whys, and hows, etc., of it all. PBS's five-part documentary series, hosted by the likable, low-key David Macaulay, does just that in a facts-first, easy-to-follow format suitable for curious kids 8 and up. Each foray--there's one into skyscrapers, bridges, tunnels, domes, and dams--burrows beneath the surface to set first a historical stage before fanning out to relate the social circumstances surrounding the need, or desire, to build. Where science is concerned, this series does more of a skim job, but for that most viewers should be grateful--detailed, in-depth human dramas do more to plump interests in architecture and engineering than dragged-out discussions of tension and compression. Still, practical applications of the painless science lessons inevitably imparted here do factor prominently; Building Small, a postscript-style segment hosted by Caroline and Kenny of the PBS kids' show Zoom, presents a project for intrepid future builders at each tape's end. These projects, though fun-seeming, are not for the easily frustrated, nor for those who oppose having their living room littered with rocks, sand, or Popsicle sticks. If that means you, stick to the Macaulay-hosted portions--you'll still get your money's worth and, given the level of scholarship this series sinks its teeth into, you'll learn something, too. --Tammy La Gorce

• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.32 x 4.19 x 1.12 inches; 6.08 ounces
• Release date ‏ : ‎ January 7, 2000
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ December 4, 2006
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Building Big
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Wgbh Boston Video