What a great book, and the illustrations are incredible. The story telling is top notch, and the story itself is worth knowing. ( )

Photographs of handmade three-dimensional dioramas illustrate the remarkable story of inventor Alfred Ely Beach who secretly built the first underground train in New York City during the late 1860s. Author’s Note, Bibliography, Web Resources.

The story was spectacular, but the thing that really sets this book apart from the others is the art. WOW! I can't tell if they are sculptures that were photographed or illustrations. Either way, the art is incredible!

( )

Beautiful, intriguing artwork compliments this non-fiction picture book about the first subway in New York City... the train that went nowhere. The story and artwork kept my boy and me captivated from the cover through the end notes. Interesting and fact-filled! ( )

How could I not want to read The Secret Subway by Shana Corey while I'm living in New York City? Truthfully, it wasn't the setting of the story that drew me in. It was the front cover illustration by Red Nose Studio aka Chris Sickels that really caught my eye. His artwork reminds me of old school claymation. His creations are sculpted using materials found around his home and he makes not only books but stop motion animation with them. The Secret Subway is a fictionalized account of the creation of the New York Subway system. The imaginative inventiveness of Eli Beach is factual as is his idea of a subterranean transit system fueled by a pneumatic system. (Picture a giant fan pushing a train car and then reversing its flow to suck the car back the way it had come!) It's the minute details which have been slightly fudged by Corey to liven up the tale (which honestly doesn't really need much embellishment). The back of the book contains the facts of the event which I urge you to read as they are fascinating. It's so amazing seeing what the human imagination can create! This was a visually impressive book but if I'm honest it didn't really WOW me. I'd give it a solid 6/10 but if you're interested in the art (you will be) I urge you to check it out for yourself. ( )