The Great Big Wagon That Rang [Hardcover]

Joe Slate (Author), Joseph Slate (Author), Craig Spearing (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

A farmer rescues the Liberty Bell from the British in his big wagon.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-In rhythmic prose, Slate tells the dramatic story of how the Liberty Bell was saved from approaching British troops that intended to melt down the valuable metal for weaponry. The poetic text has a rhythm at times reminiscent of "The House That Jack Built": "It shaped the iron/that shod the wheels/that rolled the bed/of the great big wagon." The text rings out in bell-like tones: "The woodsman's ax rang-. The blacksmith's hammer clanged," making this a good choice for sharing aloud. Spearing's illustrations have a linear, printlike quality that gives them a historical feel, while their bright colors and dramatic perspectives appeal to the eye. An author's note details the Conestoga wagon and its unique part in American history, and also notes the differing historical accounts of how the Liberty Bell was saved. Some details, such as the lattenbells, are mentioned in text and shown in illustrations, but not explained. A great introduction to Revolutionary War studies for elementary-age children and a stirring piece of American history.
Robin L. Gibson, Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. In 1777, a farmer uses his horse-drawn wagon to carry his produce to market in Philadelphia. Heading home after selling all but the hay, he stops to watch as a great bell is lowered toward the ground. Learning the bell must be hidden from the British soldiers, who will melt it down for ammunition, he takes it away in his wagon. He fools the Redcoat soldiers with fine nonchalance and saves the bell--the Liberty Bell. Rhythmic and rhyming without the rumpety-thump that characterizes too much of children's poetry, the natural-sounding verse conveys a good, pithy story within a specific historical context. Warm hues heighten the appeal of the attractive illustrations. The striped shading of colored shapes that form streets, buildings, pumpkins, clothing, and other objects suggests woodcut prints, and the parallel lines of black or gray give the pictures a look consistent with the early American setting. Spearing's imaginative endpapers show toy buildings, figures, and trees on a map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Based on both history and legend, the story takes on a life of its own. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corporation (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761451080
• ISBN-13: 978-0761451082
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,870,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Hollidays Cove, West Virginia, near the Ohio River in the state's northern panhandle. The River, the east-west railroads that skirted the Allegheny mountains, the mountains themselves were our playground.
I was born a writer, but my greatest influence was my sister Rose; she spent much of her short life in bed drawing on the back of wallpaper and binding her romantic stories into picture books.
Art was a second love, but it was not stressed in grade and high school.
After high school, I enlisted in the Marine Air Corps, and the GI Bill got me through the University of Washington, where I majored in journalism and worked as a stringer for The Seattle Times.
While working as an editor in Tokyo, Japan, I began drawing and sent a portfolio to the Yale School of Art. At Yale, I sold my first short story to The New Yorker. Then on to Kenyon College, where I built an art department, taught painting, and began to write children's books. I have been hard at it ever since. Odd, I have never been interested in illustrating them myself.
My wife Patricia and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2004.