Kristine Spanier - Golden Gate Bridge

Ideas for Parents
and Teachers

Pogo Books let children practice
reading informational text while
introducing them to nonfiction
features such as headings, labels,
sidebars, maps, and diagrams,
as well as a table of contents,
glossary, and index.

Carefully leveled text with
a strong photo match offers
early fluent readers the support
they need to succeed.

Before Reading

Walk through the book and
point out the various nonfiction
features. Ask the student what
purpose each feature serves.

Look at the glossary together.
Read and discuss the words.

Read the Book

Have the child read the book
independently.

Invite him or her to list questions
that arise from reading.

After Reading

Discuss the childs questions.
Talk about how he or she might
find answers to those questions.

Prompt the child to think more.
Ask: Bridges help travelers get
places faster. Do you have bridges
near you? Do you know how long
they are?

Pogo Books are published by Jump!
5357 Penn Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55419
www.jumplibrary.com

Copyright 2022 Jump!
International copyright reserved in all countries.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Spanier, Kristine, author.
Title: Golden gate bridge / by Kristine Spanier, MLIS.
Description: Minneapolis: Jump!, Inc., 2022.
Series: Whole wide world
Includes index. | Audience: Ages 710
Identifiers: LCCN 2021027924 (print)
LCCN 2021027925 (ebook)
ISBN 9781636903101 (hardcover)
ISBN 9781636903118 (paperback)
ISBN 9781636903125 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Golden Gate Bridge
(San Francisco, Calif.)Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC TG25.S225 S64 2022 (print)
LCC TG25.S225 (ebook) | DDC 624.2/30979461dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021027924
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021027925

Editor: Jenna Gleisner
Designer: Molly Ballanger

Photo Credits: Luciano Mortula - LGM/Shutterstock,
cover; Marti Bug Catcher/Shutterstock, 1; trekandshoot/
Shutterstock, 3; Library of Congress, 4; Nick Starichenko/
Shutterstock, 5; EpicStockMedia/Shutterstock, 67;
gob_cu/Shutterstock, 8; Underwood Archives/Getty, 9, 10;
Ernst Haas/Getty, 1011; Radoslaw Lecyk/Shutterstock,
1213; Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy, 1415;
tata_illustrator/Shutterstock, 15; Galen Rowell/Mountain
Light/Alamy, 16; Cheryl Rinzler/Alamy, 17; CelsoDiniz/
iStock, 1819; Fast Speed Imagery/Shutterstock, 2021;
Allen Penton/Shutterstock, 23.

Printed in the United States of America at
Corporate Graphics in North Mankato, Minnesota.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

CROSSING THE
GOLDEN GATE STRAIT

The Golden Gate is in California.
It lies between San Francisco and
Marin County. In the early 1900s,
people across it. But ferries
were slow. A bridge would make the
trip much faster.

Golden Gate
Strait

The bridge would need to be strong.
It would have to stand up against the
Pacific Oceans waves and .
It would also have to withstand
. Lastly, it would
need to be very long.

Joseph Strauss and Charles Ellis
were the lead . They
knew a
could span the distance.

Construction on the Golden
Gate Bridge began on
January 5, 1933. It would be
8,981 feet (2,737 meters) long.
Its towers would be feet
(227 m) tall. This would
make it the longest and
tallest bridge of its kind.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Golden Gate Bridge was
the longest suspension bridge
in the world for years. As of
2022, the longest was the Akashi
Kaikyo Bridge. It is in Japan. It is
12,831 feet (3,911 m) long!

tower

CHAPTER

BUILDING
THE BRIDGE

The towers are made of steel.
So are the two main cables.
They hold up the roadway.
They are very strong.
But they are light enough
to bend in the wind.

cable

Two support the towers.
The north pier was built close
to shore. The south pier had to
be set in deep water. Workers
blasted a hole in the ocean
floor. They poured concrete
inside to hold the pier.

north pier

south pier

Building the bridge was
dangerous. High winds
could blow workers off.
They buckled onto safety
lines. They also wore
hard hats. A safety net
was placed below them.
It saved workers who
fell off the bridge!

safety net

hard hat

Irving Morrow was an
on the project. He designed
the towers. He chose the color
orange. Why? This color stands
out against the water and sky.
It even stands out in thick fog.
This way, boat captains could
see it in any weather.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The U.S. Navy wanted to
paint the bridge yellow
and black. They thought
these colors would be easier
to see in fog. What color
would you choose? Why?

It took more than four years to build the
bridge. It opened to on
May 27, 1937. Around 200,000 people
crossed the bridge that day! The next
day, the bridge opened to vehicles.

TAKE A LOOK!

What are the parts of the Golden Gate Bridge? Take a look!