1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rappaport, Doreen. 2008. LADY LIBERTY: A BIOGRAPHY. ill. Matt Tavares. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763625306
2. BOOK REVIEW
This book begins in modern day New York City as the author, Doreen Rappaport, thinks about her grandfather and how he came to America on a boat from Latvia. Rappaport wonders aloud in the first poem in this book if her grandfather ever thought about how the Statue of Liberty came to be.
Following this poem are several other poems, all of which are written from the point of view of people who had a part in the Statue of Liberty's beginnings. These poems begin in the year 1865, when Edouard De Laboulaye, a professor of law in France, had the idea of giving America a monument as a gift for its one hundredth birthday. Next was a poem told by Auguste Bartholdi, who was the sculptor who made the monument that would come to be called Lady Liberty. Several other poems follow Bartholdi's, including Gustave Eiffel (the structural engineer), Charles P. Stone (the construction supervisor), journalists, a poet, and even a young girl. Each of these individuals were involved in some way with making the Statue of Liberty a reality.
Rappaport, Doreen. 2008. LADY LIBERTY: A BIOGRAPHY. ill. Matt Tavares. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763625306
2. BOOK REVIEW
This book begins in modern day New York City as the author, Doreen Rappaport, thinks about her grandfather and how he came to America on a boat from Latvia. Rappaport wonders aloud in the first poem in this book if her grandfather ever thought about how the Statue of Liberty came to be.
Following this poem are several other poems, all of which are written from the point of view of people who had a part in the Statue of Liberty's beginnings. These poems begin in the year 1865, when Edouard De Laboulaye, a professor of law in France, had the idea of giving America a monument as a gift for its one hundredth birthday. Next was a poem told by Auguste Bartholdi, who was the sculptor who made the monument that would come to be called Lady Liberty. Several other poems follow Bartholdi's, including Gustave Eiffel (the structural engineer), Charles P. Stone (the construction supervisor), journalists, a poet, and even a young girl. Each of these individuals were involved in some way with making the Statue of Liberty a reality.
The poems in this book do not rhyme. The poems are concrete and full of sensory images. The reader can almost see the "wood chips and sawdust litter the floor" as "white dust clings to the workers as they pour plaster over the wood." It is as if the reader can hear the "rapping and banging as the copper is pounded on the molds until the shapes are perfect." The reader can almost feel the workers' pain as "slowly each copper sheet is hoisted up with heavy ropes."
There is a proud tone to the poems in this book as "sidewalks, doorways, windowsills, and roofs bulge with people...A million Americans have come to welcome her" on Liberty Day, which was October 28, 1886.
Tavares' illustrations are a powerful component of this book. Tavares' paintings are incredibly detailed, from the faces of the people depicted to the magnificence of Lady Liberty. After the last poem, there is a page that is folded down. When the reader pulls it up, it becomes a vertical picture of the Statue of Liberty that is two pages tall.
Rappaport presents the Statue of Liberty and how she came to be, in a unique and imaginative way. Even the title, "Lady Liberty: A Biography", is a fresh new idea, as the statue is portrayed as if she was a living person, with a biography all her own. The poems in this book will be of interest to young readers. Instead of just learning the dry facts about the Statue of Liberty, readers are able to hear interesting stories of the people behind the making of Lady Liberty. Details such as the 13 foot deep, 91 square foot hole dug for Liberty's pedestal, the 89 foot tall, 20 foot thick metal skeleton, and the 354 steps up to Liberty's crown will surely add to the interest and amazement of young readers. Readers will learn about the symbols associated with Lady Liberty, such as the fact that "Her right foot is raised/Liberty walks/Freedom never stands still" and "a broken shackle and chain lie near her feet/America broke the links of slavery to fulfill its promise of equality for all."
The last poem in the book is told by Bartholdi, as he stands in Liberty's crown looking down at the enormous crowd below, waiting for him to unveil Lady Liberty's face. Readers will be able to feel Bartholdi's sense of pride and accomplishment as well as the excitement of the crowd below. The reader will also feel Bartholdi's sense of sadness as he wishes "if only Laboulaye were alive to see her."
In the back of the book there are pages of quotes from actual letters of people who wrote down their feelings as they saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. After that, there is a page that lists the dimensions of the Statue of Liberty. Next, there is a timeline showing the critical events in the making of the Statue of Liberty. Following this is an author's note, an illustrator's note, a list of selected sources used in the writing of the book, a list of additional books about the Statue of Liberty, and the URL to the Statue of Liberty's official website.
3. SELECTED POEM
The poem I selected was "written" by Joseph Pulitzer. I chose this poem because it is an excellent example of Rappaport's sensory images found throughout the book. It also presents some of the awe inspiring facts pertaining to the size of the Statue of Liberty. This book could be used to teach a social studies lesson about the making of the Statue of Liberty. The instructor could read the story aloud to the class. After reading, the students could discuss some of the things about it that made an impact on them, such as the great size, the amount of money needed to fund her making, and the endless hours the workers spent on making the Statue of Liberty a reality.
JOSEPH PULITZER
Publisher, New York World
New York City, August 1886
Liberty's skeleton in now anchored
to the pedestal,
bolted to huge girders
that protrude from concrete.
Eighty-nine feet tall, twenty feet thick,
and faced with granite,
the pedestal is more majestic than I had hoped.
I am humbled by my readers' generosity.
Many who have so little gave so much
to build this noble structure.
Liberty arrived in 214 crates.
On her trip across the ocean,
vicious storms buffeted the ship.
Labels fell off crates.
Pieces of her copper skin were shaken.
Many needed to be reshaped.
Slowly each copper sheet
is hoisted up with heavy ropes.
The workers sit on the crossbars,
fitting her copper skin to the skeleton.
When one piece doesn't fit,
they haul up another and try it,
then another,
until they find the right one.
The first piece of copper skin attached
to the skeleton is named "Bartholdi."
The second piece is christened "Pulitzer."
Each day she grows more beautiful.
I predict that those who once mocked her
will soon love her and understand
her power and significance.
There is a proud tone to the poems in this book as "sidewalks, doorways, windowsills, and roofs bulge with people...A million Americans have come to welcome her" on Liberty Day, which was October 28, 1886.
Tavares' illustrations are a powerful component of this book. Tavares' paintings are incredibly detailed, from the faces of the people depicted to the magnificence of Lady Liberty. After the last poem, there is a page that is folded down. When the reader pulls it up, it becomes a vertical picture of the Statue of Liberty that is two pages tall.
Rappaport presents the Statue of Liberty and how she came to be, in a unique and imaginative way. Even the title, "Lady Liberty: A Biography", is a fresh new idea, as the statue is portrayed as if she was a living person, with a biography all her own. The poems in this book will be of interest to young readers. Instead of just learning the dry facts about the Statue of Liberty, readers are able to hear interesting stories of the people behind the making of Lady Liberty. Details such as the 13 foot deep, 91 square foot hole dug for Liberty's pedestal, the 89 foot tall, 20 foot thick metal skeleton, and the 354 steps up to Liberty's crown will surely add to the interest and amazement of young readers. Readers will learn about the symbols associated with Lady Liberty, such as the fact that "Her right foot is raised/Liberty walks/Freedom never stands still" and "a broken shackle and chain lie near her feet/America broke the links of slavery to fulfill its promise of equality for all."
The last poem in the book is told by Bartholdi, as he stands in Liberty's crown looking down at the enormous crowd below, waiting for him to unveil Lady Liberty's face. Readers will be able to feel Bartholdi's sense of pride and accomplishment as well as the excitement of the crowd below. The reader will also feel Bartholdi's sense of sadness as he wishes "if only Laboulaye were alive to see her."
In the back of the book there are pages of quotes from actual letters of people who wrote down their feelings as they saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. After that, there is a page that lists the dimensions of the Statue of Liberty. Next, there is a timeline showing the critical events in the making of the Statue of Liberty. Following this is an author's note, an illustrator's note, a list of selected sources used in the writing of the book, a list of additional books about the Statue of Liberty, and the URL to the Statue of Liberty's official website.
3. SELECTED POEM
The poem I selected was "written" by Joseph Pulitzer. I chose this poem because it is an excellent example of Rappaport's sensory images found throughout the book. It also presents some of the awe inspiring facts pertaining to the size of the Statue of Liberty. This book could be used to teach a social studies lesson about the making of the Statue of Liberty. The instructor could read the story aloud to the class. After reading, the students could discuss some of the things about it that made an impact on them, such as the great size, the amount of money needed to fund her making, and the endless hours the workers spent on making the Statue of Liberty a reality.
JOSEPH PULITZER
Publisher, New York World
New York City, August 1886
Liberty's skeleton in now anchored
to the pedestal,
bolted to huge girders
that protrude from concrete.
Eighty-nine feet tall, twenty feet thick,
and faced with granite,
the pedestal is more majestic than I had hoped.
I am humbled by my readers' generosity.
Many who have so little gave so much
to build this noble structure.
Liberty arrived in 214 crates.
On her trip across the ocean,
vicious storms buffeted the ship.
Labels fell off crates.
Pieces of her copper skin were shaken.
Many needed to be reshaped.
Slowly each copper sheet
is hoisted up with heavy ropes.
The workers sit on the crossbars,
fitting her copper skin to the skeleton.
When one piece doesn't fit,
they haul up another and try it,
then another,
until they find the right one.
The first piece of copper skin attached
to the skeleton is named "Bartholdi."
The second piece is christened "Pulitzer."
Each day she grows more beautiful.
I predict that those who once mocked her
will soon love her and understand
her power and significance.
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