Customer Reviews

Lady Liberty: A Biography

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This is a wonderful book about the Statue of Liberty. It is very moving and I am very impressed with it. I teach ESOL students so immigration is a factor in all my students lives whether they are living here for the rest of their lives or just visiting here for a couple of years while their parents attend university here. I am also a big fan of Doreen Rappaport who wrote wonderful picture books about Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon. Lady Liberty tells her story by covering life stories of major figures involved in the creation of the statue. This is quite effective. I learned more about the making of the statue than I had before and I felt very in tune with the people who made the statue happen. The French governments and the US governments weren't all that interested in the project, they had other concerns on their minds and it was more of a bother than anything anyone wanted. It was the pushing of some people from both continents to make it happen and the rest liked it. The courage of the creators was enormous because at any time, people could have convinced them to call it quits. Human creatively and determination is always a good tale.

LADY LIBERTY: A BIOGRAPHY is a wonderful crafted book written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Matt Tavares that tells the story of the how the Statue of Liberty came to be created. The story is told in short poems spoken from the point of view of the people who made Lady Liberty and brought her to the United States. These people include Edouard De Laboulaye, Auguste Bartholdi, Marie Simon, Gustave Eiffel, Emma Lazarus, Charles P. Stone, Joseph Pulitzer, Florence De Forest, Jose Marti, and an introduction written by Doreen Rappaport. In some cases the biographical poems use the actual words of the people who spoke them. The end of the book has a few selected quotes from immigrants who legally came to the United States and passed by Lady Liberty, as well as a page full of the Statue of Liberty's measurements, and another page presented a timeline of important events in her creation and life. The book does an excellent job of illustrating how it was the people of France and the United States, and not the respective governments of those countries, who made the Statue of Liberty possible. The book is really well researched and is beautifully illustrated. I even learned something from reading this book; I didn't know that Liberty Island was originally called Bedloe's Island. LADY LIBERTY: A BIOGRAPHY is an excellent historical children's book.

Doreen Rappaport and Matt Tavares have created an incredibly beautiful and moving book in Lady Liberty: A Biography. Each page features the perspective of those involved in building and promoting the monumental Statue of Liberty, from Auguste Bartholdi the sculptor to Emma Lazarus, the poet that created the words that grace the bottom of the statue. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and accompany the text perfectly. Also included are the dimensions of the statue and the important events surrounding Lady Liberty, from construction to completion.

This book is an must have for all library and school collections, never have I come across a better description of how the Statue of Liberty was created and the emotions it evoked in the many different people connected with her. I loved reading each page and savored the lovely illustrations. Though the size of a picture book and about the same length in pages, I think I involved myself for close to an hour while reviewing it. I really believe kids will love to read this book, especially if they've seen the Lady up close, and adults will enjoy it in the same way I have, savoring the facts and the illustrations alike. A lot of other bloggers have posted about this title, all positively as far as I can tell, and I'm certainly in agreement with them. Definitely a must-have!

Lady Liberty- A Biography is just what it says, the story of the Lady from the time that she was first conceived, up to her completion and beyond, in the experiences of those that first saw her upon their arrival in the United States.

We start with Edouard de Laboulaye, a French professor of law in 1865, through the work of the sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, the engineer Gustave Eiffel, the poet Emma Lazarus and a number more. Some are very famous and some are surely unknown to us, but moving nevertheless. Those that dug the holes and those that gave their pennies...and their chickens...to see her completed. The story is told from the view point of 10 individuals who were involved with the Lady's construction, most stories spanning a two page spread, the text written in a narrow column, almost like poetry, and the rest taken up by the very beautiful illustrations of Matt Tavares.

A wonderful introduction to the Statue of Liberty for kids...but you adults will enjoy it as well, I promise.

Told from the viewpoints of the people who conceptualized, financed, and built the Statue of Liberty, this remarkable book describes how the Lady Liberty was transformed from a bold idea in France to an enormous symbol of freedom in New York Harbor. In France in 1865, Professor Édouard de Laboulaye shared with his colleagues his vision of building a monument to commemorate the American Revolution and to celebrate the friendship between France and the United States. Ten years later this vision began to take shape through the hands of Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor who believed in the possibility of de Laboulaye's dream. It took another eleven years for various crews to design the copper sheeting, engineer the internal steel structure, ship the pieces to America, build the pedestal, erect the steel skeleton, attach the copper shell to the steel framework, and formally dedicate the Statue of Liberty.

The author and illustrator do an excellent job in communicating both the visible and the less visible work involved in building the Statue of Liberty. Much credit goes to the efforts by poet Emma Lazarus to write the inspiring sonnet that was engraved on a plaque on the statue's base: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..." Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, also played a crucial role in raising money to finance the construction of the pedestal in the face of opposition from government and business leaders. Intertwined with the interesting historical narratives are valuable economics lessons about human resources, jobs, immigration, and altruism. The stunning artwork and informative text work well together to make reading this book a truly rewarding experience.

Begun as Edouard De Laboulaye's romantic vision to celebrate one hundred years of independence, designed and constructed by Auguste Bartholdi, given in friendship by the people of France, and erected as a result of countless small contributions of ordinary Americans, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and freedom to millions around the globe. Doreen Rapport and Matt Tavares have crafted a biography of this icon told through the visions of those who conceived of and created her, as well as the reflections of those for whom she represents the ideals of liberty and opportunity. In describing how the statue came to be, the book presents first person accounts by the various people involved, expressing their feelings, impressions, and commitment to the concept and creation of the Statue of Liberty. Readers will learn how De Laboulaye's vision inspired Bartholdi's design and in turn Gustave Eiffel's amazing feat of engineering. They will come to understand the backbreaking labor of the construction workers as described by Charles P. Stone, their supervisor, as well as the role played by Joseph Pulitzer, an immigrant himself, who realized the power of the symbol and through his newspaper, campaigned for contributions to build the pedestal. Young readers may be inspired to take action after reading the section about Florence De Foreest, a young girl from Metuchen, New Jersey, who sent Pulitzer her two pet roosters to sell to help pay for the pedestal. Included also are sections about Emma Lazarus' poem, written for an auction to help raise funds, and the reflections of Jose Marti, a journalist and Cuban immigrant, as he watched the celebrations when the statue was unveiled and dedicated. Lady Liberty - A Biography includes a list of statue dimensions and an historical time line and provides a unique perspective from which young readers can view this national symbol.

Rappaport, Doreen. 2008. Lady Liberty A Biography. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0-7636-2539-6.

In this collection of poems, Rappaport chronologically tells the story of the creation of Lady Liberty, from the idea's conception to the final unveiling in New York City. Using the comments and experiences of the people involved in the making of Lady Liberty as an inspiration and starting point, Rappaport not only conveys the factual information about the history of Lady Liberty but also the emotional aspect of people who valued the liberty she symbolizes. Each poem is titled with a person's name, a person who somehow influenced the making of the Statue of Liberty, ranging from Charles P. Stone, the construction supervisor, to Florence De Foreest, a ten year old girl in New Jersey who mailed her roosters to support the construction efforts. Underneath the title the location and the date of the particular part of Lady Liberty's story is listed. These added details support the idea that Lady Liberty and her symbolism spans time and place.

Told in free verse poetry, the poems are not fancy or risky. Instead of using the style or rhythm to make an impact, the author simply uses the words and the feelings liberty invokes to make a point with readers. Sometimes simple is better and more powerful. The pictures are a wonderful addition to the book. Most moving is the illustration for the poem "Jose Marti", which is dark and gray, with the blue and the red of the American flag the only bright colors shining through.

Although the critics recommend this book for grades 3-8, it can be used in older grades as well. With revolutions happening in Egypt and Libya, the idea of liberty and its worth is current and relevant. The last poem of the book, which tells the story of the unveiling of the statue, embodies the idea of freedom. This poem could be used in a high school history class or even government class to spark a discussion about the current events in the world. A United States history class can use the poems in the book when learning about the American Revolution. Although the statue was made much later, it is a symbol of what the colonists were willing to risk their lives for. Sometimes students focus on the facts they need to learn for the test and forget the emotions and feelings of the people who lived during those events.
"Liberty! The most important word in the world.
I know that all too well.
I was deported from my country, Cuba
for fighting to free my people from Spanish rule" (Rappaport 26).
This section of a poem is a great warm-up question to get students thinking about exactly what Lady Liberty means not only to Americans but to people around the world.

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This Liberty book is illustrated by the same artist as the King and Lincoln books, and again, an awesome job!
It's the history of the Statue of Liberty and a wonderful book.

Purchased Lady Liberty Biography as a birthday gift for a Statue of Liberty collector. She is thoroughly enjoying the book.