Old Ironsides: Americans Build a Fighting Ship [Hardcover]

David L. Weitzman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 1997 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Made from the wood of more than 1,000 trees, she weighs 1,576 tons and carries 44 guns. She's the largest, fastest fighting ship of her class - the Constitution. The beginnings of a fledgling country's navy took shape in the graceful lines of this frigate, whose strength under fire earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides." Follow young John Aylwin as he watches and helps in the construction of one of the most remarkable sailing ships ever built, from the selection of oaks for the masts to the casting of her three-ton cannon to the sewing of more than two acres of sail. The story of the birth of the Constitution is accompanied by drawings that are stunning in their elegance and detail, a fitting tribute to a majestic vessel.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6. Though listed as fiction, there is no conventional plot to this description of events in which a young boy in post-Revolutionary War Boston watches and assists in the building of America's first great war ship, Constitution. After three years, the work is completed, and John Aylwin earns a place as assistant to the master shipbuilder and later serves as sailing master. This story is the framework for the extensive details and elegant pen-and-ink drawings, that show the design of the almost 200-foot long frigate, the search for the perfect trees for the hull, the making of sails, and the casting of the 60 cannons that would make Constitution one of the finest war ships. The carefully researched account describes how the vessel was built and how its designer, Joshua Humphreys, made innovations to create a frigate stronger, better armed, and swifter than the ships of other navies. An epilogue explains the role of Constitution in the War of 1812. So strong was the ship, so impervious the hull to British cannon fire, that the label "Old Ironsides" would become its popular name. From the frigate under full sail on the cover, to the endpapers with the cutaway view of the hull, to the clean, precise drawings of every stage of shipbuilding, Weitzman's illustrations draw the eye and invite close inspection. Old Ironsides should find readers among young people interested in ships, in how things are made, or in American history.?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. "Mr. Washington was angry" begins this recounting of the building of a ship to defend the young nation's merchant ships from pirates. The goal was to construct a ship strong enough to be useful in war as well, and as the nickname testified, "Old Ironsides" turned out to be just that. The story is told through the eyes of the fictional John Aylwin, son of a ship's carpenter, who follows the process with keen interest, chatting with people who can shed light on particular aspects of the ship's design. The fictionalization makes the text more readable and personal, but the picture-book format and fiction classification are going to make library circulation iffy--it is history buffs and children intrigued by ships who will want to pore over the many detailed drawings and diagrams. Still, this gives an intriguing glimpse of the hard labor involved in shipbuilding as well as the uses of frigates in battle. Susan Dove Lempke

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1St Edition edition (April 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395746787
• ISBN-13: 978-0395746783
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,408,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Entertaining, July 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Old Ironsides: Americans Build a Fighting Ship (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my wife to use in the reading section of her classroom. I was originally taken by the cover art,(I am in love with tall ships), but I found the text as well as the other illustrations to be very informative and full of facts about American history that I as an adult didn't know. I would not only suggest this book for a simple history lesson but, to bring out the creative fantasy of a young mind.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living books at their best, February 5, 2008

By 

C. Moore "Having the time of my life!" (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Ironsides: Americans Build a Fighting Ship (Paperback)

Well written, this book gives a first hand account of the ship's design and building processes through the eyes of a fictional carpenter's son. Easily holding a child's attention, the story moves along steadily with quite a bit of detail. I was impressed with the way the author gave the audience a historical setting in the beginning and concluded with the famous story of how the ship acquired it's nickname in a battle.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars early American shipbuilding technology, April 28, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Ironsides: Americans Build a Fighting Ship (Paperback)

I like the technical illustrations and the information about how the ship was designed and assembled. However, the storyline -- following a boy, the son of a shipbuilder, as he watches all the parts of the ship coming together -- was not cohesive and didn't work as a plot.

Beautiful drawings. Any fan of tall ships or the USS Constitution will get a thrill.

Also check into "Ship" by David Macaulay - about a Spanish galleon being built in the 15th century and excavated in modern times.