Ships at Work

Elting, Mary, 1906-2005Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 79K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Ships at Work by Mary EltingAuthor: Elting, Mary, 1906-2005,Language: English, Class: VK: Naval science: Navigation, Merchant marine, Release Date: Sep 2, 2017

Editor's review

Ships at Work, by Mary Elting, is an English-language introduction to ships for young readers, made available as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Its value lies not in advanced nautical theory but in clearly explaining, in simple language, what various working vessels do and how they are used, helping readers build an intuitive sense of ports, shipping, and work on the water. As an early children's book, its pacing is slow and its illustrations rely on text for explanation, but that makes it well suited as an entry point to English nonfiction reading: concrete vocabulary, simple sentences, and a focused topic. It can serve both as a first look at nautical knowledge and as practice material for extensive reading in English. For readers interested in how mid-twentieth-century children's books addressed technical subjects, it also offers a fascinating period sample.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers interested in ships, ports, and shipping
Learners who want simple English nonfiction for extensive reading practice
Primary and secondary teachers choosing English science books for children
Publishing and education professionals studying how early children's nonfiction was written

Not a good fit for

Professionals seeking technical or engineering data on navigation
Young readers who prefer modern, heavily illustrated layouts
Readers of fiction looking for a complete narrative

Reading tips

Read through once to get an overview of the working vessels, then choose chapters of interest for closer reading
Keep a glossary of unfamiliar ship terms and learn them from context
Read alongside videos of modern port operations to aid understanding
When reading with children, have them guess each vessel's purpose before checking the book

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What age group is this book suitable for?

Given the difficulty and subject matter, it suits upper primary through lower secondary readers. The English original is challenging for non-native children, so it is best read after they have basic vocabulary or with a parent explaining. Younger children can look at the pictures and listen.

Is the nautical information still valid today?

The book covers the basic purposes and operations of working vessels, common-sense content that has changed little and retains reference value. Specific ship types, equipment, and technical details may be outdated, so readers should treat it as an introduction rather than current technical material.

What should I keep in mind when reading the eBook?

This is a free eBook from Project Gutenberg, set mainly in plain text, so illustrations may be missing or misplaced. Use a reader that supports adjustable font size, combine diagram descriptions with the main text, and find other image sources when needed.

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About the author

Elting, Mary, 1906-2005 Author

Mary Elting (1906–2005) was an American author of science books for children. Public information about her life and education is limited, and what is known comes mainly from her works. Three of her books are held here, all titled "at Work" and dealing respectively with trains, ships, and machines, which shows that she was skilled at turning knowledge of transportation and mechanical devices into content accessible to children. Books of this kind usually use concrete scenes as a thread, explaining how things operate and what parts they consist of, often with illustrations that help young readers form intuitive understanding. Her writing emphasizes practicality and readability, with a plain tone and attention to letting young readers learn the principles behind everyday technology. Although a fuller account of her life and work awaits more material, these books still reflect her sustained commitment to nonfiction science writing for children and are of positive value in popularizing basic knowledge of machines and transportation.