InTrans / Sep 30, 2016
Book stop: Amazing Bridge Building Robot Adventures
Go! Magazine
posted on September 30, 2016
For Stuart Nielsen, writing is just a side project. But to his readers, he is best known as the author of the Amazing Bridge Building Robot Adventures, an on-going series currently made up of seven fully-illustrated books and a “mini-book” about a robot dog named Emma. Each book is presented in full color using a mix of three-dimensional (3D) modeling and digital painting. Each book takes the team of Bridge Building Robots on new adventures to strange, exciting planets with new obstacles to overcome.
What makes Nielsen’s books a bit different than other elementary-grade literature is the fact that the science behind the Bridge Building Robots is real. During the day, Nielsen works for the Iowa Department of Transportation as a professional bridge engineer. Plus, he is also an adjunct faculty member at Iowa State University’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering in Ames, Iowa. Who better to write about bridges, engineering, and science than an actual engineer!
Nielsen’s goal is simple: introduce a new generation to the joy of bridge engineering. Because of that, every book is free to download at www.bridgerobots.com. Leave reviews for each book on Amazon too, so Nielsen knows how he’s doing!
Want to know about the first few books in the series? Go! has already reviewed NieKo, the Bridge Building Robot and No Bridge! No Fair! And check out The Adventures of Emma! if you are looking for a good story about dogs or family or both!
Bridge Building Robot Adventures
Age range
0–5 years
What to expect
The Barge, the Croc, and the Bridge! – Kori and Emma are separated by a terrible accident and have to use their wits and bridge building skills to save the day! As the third book in the series, this one is over 60 pages and has a strong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) emphasis.
The Curse of the Golden Bridge – Emma and Maggie, two amazing robots, must find the secrets behind the Golden Bridge and protect it from being destroyed by an ancient race. With over 80 pages, this fourth book in the series is full of whales, squids, and dogs!
Bridge Robots in Space! – Do you like robots, space, and bridges? Bridge Robots in Space introduces children to the engineering world of bridges through an exciting space adventure! This is the fifth book in the Amazing Bridge Building Robot Adventures series.
The Case of the Mysterious Missing Bridge – In this adventure, Emma, Maggie, and Betty try to figure out who is stealing all the galaxy’s bridges. Who could it be? The gang builds a glass block arch bridge and gets shrunk to the size of ants in the process. This is the sixth book in the Amazing Bridge Building Robot Adventures series.
Spiders of Lars – Will the Bridge Building Robots find their way home from Planet Lars, home of the Pirate Spiders? Find out in the seventh book in the Amazing Bridge Building Robot Adventures series.
By Brandy Haenlein, Go! Program Coordinator