Old Silver Leg Takes Over! A Story of Peter Stuyvesant [Hardcover]

Robert Quackenbush (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up

A brief biography of the Dutchman who arrived to be governor of New Amsterdam in 1647 and turned it from a muddy village into a well-organized city.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6 The colorful Dutchman stars in the eleventh in Quackenbush's series of brief, lively biographies. The highlights of Stuyvesant's life are traced from his boisterous childhood and the loss of his leg in a battle with the Portuguese through his often controversial reign as governor of New Amsterdam and up to the colony's defeat by the English. The book is a lucid, sparkling portrait of daily life in 17th-Century New Amsterdam, where cabbage thieves and wandering pigs threaten the march of progress. The droll full-page illustrations accurately depict the clothing and architecture of Stuyvesant's times. The piece de resistance is the cartoon commentary which has become Quackenbush's trademark in these biographies. This time, endearing pigs tote picket signs and grumble about gubernatorial reforms. While not as comprehensive as the Crouses' Peter Stuyvesant of Old New York (Random, 1954; o.p.) or Widdemer's Peter Stuyvesant: Boy with Wooden Shoes (Bobbs, 1962; o.p.), this book will lure readers because of its brevity and sprightly format. Guaranteed to be a popular resource in a colonial studies or biography unit. Merilyn S. Burrington, formerly at St. Albans Town Central School Lib . , Vt.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (May 2, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0136339344
• ISBN-13: 978-0136339342
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author/Artist/Educator Robert Quackenbush has written and illustrated over 200 books for young readers including his popular Miss Mallard Mysteries, which have been made into animated films for children's worldwide television programming by Cinar (now Cookie Jar Entertainment) that are showing in 70 countries. His books have won many awards and citations including an Edgar Allen Poe Special Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, a Gradiva Award, and a gold medal from the Holland Society of New York for distinction in art and literature by a member of the society. He is a frequent visiting author at schools and libraries giving programs to instill children with a love of books and reading. These tours have taken him across the US, including Alaska, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. His art is in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Department of Interior, the U.S. Air Force Museum, and Norton Simon Museum. For further information, visit his Web site www.rquackenbush.com, which also gives his Facebook and Blog addresses.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Children's Biography on Stuyvesant, January 17, 2011

By 

IIJuan12 (Sugar Land, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Silver Leg Takes Over! A Story of Peter Stuyvesant (Hardcover)

I love finding great children's biographies on lesser-known people in history. This is a gem! My boys (ages 3 & 7) both enjoyed this story. We were able to locate two story book bios on Stuyvesant. This one was our favorite. The other one,On the Day Peter Stuyvesant Sailed into Town, portrayed Stuyvesant as an angry, violent man who contributed little. From what I have read in other books, "Old Silver Leg Takes Over!" is much more historically accurate.