Emily Warren Roebling for kids: a true picture book
Emily and the Bridge. Things that did not exist, until someone made them 10 pages, fact-checked, at three reading levels, read aloud.
The lesson: If the job needs doing and you can learn it, learn it.
Read the first pages free
Look! A giant bridge, drawn on paper. John Roebling made the plan. Then he got hurt, and he died.
John A. Roebling drew the plans for the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1869, he was hurt in an accident at the building site, and he died. Who would finish his giant bridge now?
Every bridge starts as a design, a careful plan that shows how it will be built. John A. Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge. But in 1869, before it was finished, he died after an accident at the building site. His drawings showed what the bridge should become. Now someone else would have to lead the work and turn those drawings into stone, steel and cable.
Page 1 of 10
His son Washington took over. Now Washington was in charge of the bridge!
John's son, Washington Roebling, took his place. He became the chief engineer. That means he was in charge of building the whole bridge.
After his father died in 1869, Washington Roebling became the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. An engineer uses math and science to design and build things. The chief engineer is the one in charge of the whole project. It was an enormous job, and Washington now held it.
Page 2 of 10
Emily Warren Roebling: a timeline of true facts
- 1869 John A. Roebling, who designed the Brooklyn Bridge, died after an accident at the site. His son Washington became chief engineer. source
- 1872 Washington Roebling became very ill with caisson disease (the bends) from working in the underwater foundations and could not visit the site. source
- 1872-1883 His wife Emily studied engineering subjects such as cable construction and stress analysis, and carried his instructions to the engineers and officials at the bridge. source
- 1883 When the bridge opened in May 1883, Emily Roebling was the first person to ride across it, carrying a rooster as a sign of victory. source
- today A plaque on the bridge honors Emily, Washington and John Roebling. source
3 reading levels
- Read to me (ages 3–5)
- Read together (ages 6–8)
- I'll read (ages 9–12)
The same true story, written three ways. Little kids hear short, bouncy lines; big kids get the details and the numbers.
Quiz time
Who rode across the bridge first?
Show the answer
Emily.
Try this at home
- Build a bridge between two stacks of books using paper, tape and string. See how many coins it can hold before it sags.
- Make a cable: test one strand of yarn, then twist several strands together and test again. Which one holds more weight?
- Play messenger: one person draws a simple tower in secret and gives instructions, and you carry them to a builder who uses blocks. Does the tower match the drawing?
More true heroes
Bridges for kids · Builders and engineers for kids · All heroes