Liberty Rising: The Story of the Statue of Liberty [Hardcover]

Pegi Deitz Shea (Author), Wade Zahares (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Liberty should shine here on this island, Bartholdi decided, where she can welcome all to America.

The story behind Liberty’s construction and the visionaries who made it happen Liberty Rising

The Statue of Liberty stands as a powerful symbol of freedom to all. But what is her story? How did she come to be? From conception to construction, each element of the Statue of Liberty has a fascinating story of its own: a face bearing the likeness of the creator’s mother; a hand and a torch traveling alone to America; seventy train cars packed with pieces.

This inspiring and beautifully illustrated picture book celebrates the visionaries behind the statue and the process by which they carried out the design and building of one of the world’s most important monuments.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4–Using the concept of building a house or an office building, Shea introduces the size and scale of creating such a large object. Readers meet Edouard de Laboulaye, the law professor who first had the idea of building a monument representing freedom that would be a gift to the people of the United States from the people of France. His early planning with Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi is highlighted. Each step in the process, from small model (four feet high) to full size is told in simple text. The dismantling of the statue, the 214 train cars that transported it to Rouen for the trip across the Atlantic, and its arrival in New York Harbor in 1885 are mentioned. Finally, the unveiling of the statue on October 28, 1886, is highlighted. The book is easy to read, with three-quarter spreads of illustration and single columns of text. The stylized graphic art is fairly realistic with bold colors and unusual angles to create a sense of excitement. They often have a collage effect. They are a trifle busy and sometimes a sense of the scale of the statue gets lost. Two pages of interesting facts appear at the end of the book. This title is more accessible to young readers but much less interesting and captivating than Lynn Curlee's Liberty (S & S, 2000) and Betsy Maestro's The Story of the Statue of Liberty (HarperCollins, 1989).–Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. Lady Liberty's story is particularly resonant at this time of cooling relations between France and the U.S., and the statue, an icon of the American melting pot, provides a smooth entree to classroom discussions of our nation's founding ideals. Shea's picture book provides good coverage of the topic for children not yet ready for the longer narrative in Lynn Curlee's Liberty (2000). No more than three short paragraphs of text appear on every spread, set alongside scenes rendered in the same exuberant, wildly colored pastels as in Zahares' Window Music (1998) and Delivery 2001). The emphasis on abstract forms over realistic detail may disappoint some children (Curlee's book has more straightforward images), but the double-gatefold portrait of the statue from pedestal base to torch tip will be universally admired. A time line, pronunciation guides for French names, and titles for further reading will be appreciated by teachers and young researchers alike. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 44 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (August 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805072209
• ISBN-13: 978-0805072204
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,298,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi! Thanks for your interest in my work. I LOVE to meet readers at school visits and teacher conferences, and share my writing processes. Please visit www.pegideitzshea.com for details.

Right now, I'm celebrating the release of my "lucky" 13th book, NOAH WEBSTER: WEAVER OF WORDS. I'm also in press (editing) my first YA novel, ABE IN ARMS, about a former boy soldier from Liberia having a hard time adjusting to high school in the US. I've co-written a nonfiction picture book with Iris VanRynbach called THE TAXING CASE OF THE COWS: A TRUE STORY ABOUT SUFFRAGE. We're thrilled that Caldecott winner, Emily Arnold McCully, is illustrating it! It should be out Fall 2010 or Spring 2011.

I'm working on writing 2 projects: SNAKE BOY, SISTER SPY, a YA novel based on the teen exploits of my aunt and uncle in the French Resistance during WWII; also, I'm working with UCONN marine biologists on a series called AQUANAUTS: TEEN HEROES OF THE SEAS.

I teach at UCONN and the Institute of Children's Literature. I love sharing my knowledge, energy, and passion for writing.

Learn more about me at my website, or email me at [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explores the origins, construction and meaning of America's symbol of liberty, February 12, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Liberty Rising: The Story of the Statue of Liberty (Hardcover)

Liberty Rising: The Story Of The Statue Of Liberty receives fine drawings by Wade Zahares as it explores the origins, construction and meaning of America's symbol of liberty. Kids with good reading skills in grades 3-5 will learn of how the idea came to a French law professor, how it was funded, and how it grew in France, to be shipped in pieces to America. Fine color drawings throughout and a vivid writing style bring the facts to life.