The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell [Hardcover]

Kathy-Jo Wargin (Author), Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Leaving port from Superior, Wisconsin, on a sunny November day, the crew of The Edmund Fitzgerald is looking forward to a routine crossing of deep Lake Superior.Heading for Cleveland, the giant transport ship is loaded with ore that will be used to build cars. But disaster is building in the wind as a gale storm begins to track after the great ship.This suspenseful retelling of the last hours of the doomed vessel pays homage to all sailors who traverse deep waters, in fair skies and foul.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3--A picture book about the sinking of the cargo ship Edmund Fitzgerald during a storm on Lake Superior in 1975. The vessel's bell, which eventually became a memorial to the lost sailors, is the focal point of the narrative. Tension builds steadily as the story unfolds. Members of the crew are introduced by name, and the fictionalized dialogue makes the story more immediate and true to life. Conversation, largely between Captain McSorley and the captain and first mate of the Arthur M. Anderson, another ship on the lake at the time, is undocumented. A poem interspersed throughout the text creates a sentimental, disjointed effect. Endpapers list names, positions, and hometowns of the men, and an afterword by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society describes how the bell was retrieved and became a memorial. Paintings show the movement and danger of the lake, and different angles are used to capture the drama of the tragedy. This title should be considered an additional purchase where there is regional demand.--Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. This handsome picture book draws on history to tell the story of the last voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a ship that sank in a Lake Superior storm in 1975. All 29 crew members drowned. The text combines prose paragraphs with rhymed couplets, a device that works fairly well, as the book both tells the tale and laments those who drowned. Wargin uses the ship's bell as a unifying focus for the story. When the ship was at sea, the bronze bell clanged every four hours to signal the watch change, and later, "The battered bell rang as the storm held its grip-- / It rang for the men at the heart of the ship." Finally, it was retrieved from the sunken vessel and replaced with a replica inscribed with the names of those who perished. The dark, dramatic paintings expressively illustrate the somber story with respect for the men and for the danger of the treacherous storm, which is vividly portrayed. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press; 1st edition (October 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585361267
• ISBN-13: 978-1585361267
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #819,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathy-jo Wargin is the bestselling author of more than 45 books such as the children's classic The Legend of Sleeping Bear, 2001 IRA Children's Choice Award Winner The Legend of the Loon, IRA Teacher's Choice Award Winner Win One for the Gipper, Bank Street College of Education Best Book Listee The Voyageur's Paddle, and newly released Alfred Nobel, The Man Behind the Peace Prize. She has also written two widely successful coffee table books titled Michigan, The Spirit of the Land and The Great Lakes Cottage Book, working in collaboration with her husband, Great Lakes photographer Ed Wargin.

Kathy-jo Wargin was born and raised on the iron range of northern Minnesota, and studied music composition at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She has been writing professionally for more than twenty years, and is dedicated to the creation and promotion of quality literature for children. She is a frequent guest speaker at reading conferences throughout the nation such as IRA, MAME, MRA and more. In addition, she regularly visits school systems to perform large and small group presentations and teacher in-service programs, as well as frequent book signing tours and promotional events. Kathy-jo Wargin and family reside in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Her newest book is titled Moose on the Loose. Here's what School Library Journal has to say: PreS-Gr 1-This rhyming text begins by asking: "What/would you do/with a moose/on the loose?/Would you chase him,/or race him,/or stand up to face him?" As the book continues, the creature becomes more daring, and children will delight in the antics of both the moose and its young human companion. Bold, bright, cartoonlike illustrations capture the action in a humorous style, inviting readers to look closely at all the details. The large boldfaced type complements the illustrations and action. Colorful spreads and simple rhymes will make this whimsical story a hit.-Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retelling the doomed voyage of a ship, November 17, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell (Hardcover)

Knowledgeably written by Kathy-Jo Wargin and expertly illustrated by Gisjbert Van Frankenhuyzen, The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song Of The Bell is the suspenseful picture book retelling of the doomed voyage of a ship and the tragic end for the 29 men aboard it. Told with compassion and historical accuracy, this true story concludes with the retrieval of the ship's bell from the ocean depths and the placing of it in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, Michigan, so that the loved ones of those who died with the sinking of that great ship could have a place to go and remember their cherished memories of those who were lost.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Beautifully Illustrated Children's Account Of The "Edmund Fitzgerald" Tragedy In Poetry And Prose, November 17, 2010

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell (Hardcover)

"The 'Edmund Fitzgerald' Song of the Bell" by Kathy-Jo Wargin is a rather unusual entry in the vast array of books on the sinking of the "Edmund Fitzgerald." It is a generally accurate account of the November 1975 accident that claimed the lives of 29 sailors on Lake Superior, but what distinguishes this book is that it's specifically aimed at children and is beautifully illustrated with paintings by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen.

The text is largely in well-written prose, though the "Song of the Bell" angle, despite making it into the title, is a bit unwieldy. Essentially the story is told in prose with intermittent couplets sprinkled throughout which serve to tell the story a second time poetically (e.g. "The battered bell rang as the storm held its grip / It rang for the men as the heart of the ship.") I think it would have worked better to feature the poem on a single page as an introduction rather than distributing it throughout the book in italics, as the net effect is to make the text seem a bit disjointed.

Despite the stylistic issues, I think the book works very effectively as a children's introduction to the sinking of the "Fitzgerald," and the paintings are truly excellent, especially for a book with this intended audience. For those with children interested in dramatic stories, ships, The Great Lakes, maritime tragedies, or ore processing and transportation this is an excellent choice.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, January 8, 2011

By 

Heather Gagnon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell (Hardcover)

My 6 year old son got this book for Christmas and absolutely loves it! He's asked me to read it to him almost every day. We live on Lake Superior so he's been fascinated with the story of the Fitzgerald and other sunken ships in the great lakes.