Building Bridges is an uplifting fiction reader for students in Grades 2–3 that follows inventive Tara as she teams up with unlikely partners to design a winning entry in her school’s bridge-building contest. Demonstrates the engineering design process and basic bridge concepts—arches, trusses, suspension—to ignite curiosity about STEM. Shows how collaboration, creativity, and open-mindedness turn rivals into allies and overcome setbacks. Rich vocabulary, dialogue, and dynamic illustrations support fluency, comprehension, and critical thinking in developing readers. Includes teacher discussion prompts, STEM challenges, and SEL reflection questions aligned to NGSS and ELA standards for Grades 2–3. Ideal for project-based learning units on engineering, makerspace activities, or at-home explorations of how bridges—and people—connect.