This picture book tells two stories: one of a young boy and his father living in NYC during the depression; and one of the men that built the Empire State Building. Hopkinson's narrative from the boy's point of view as an on-looker is balanced with Ransome's paintings of the progress. Included in the story are facts about the construction. Hopkinson includes a note at the end and information on her sources. The end papers offer photographs of the construction.
My students enjoyed the book, especially the pictures of the workers eating their lunch on the contruction site, high above the city.
edit Recommended for 2nd-5th grades.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
The story of the boy and his father adds a personal perspective to an exciting story. I found the choice of second person, you a bit off-putting. Usually the second person has the effect of drawing the reader into the story - "Imagine you" but I think because this story is set in the past it's a bit more of a stretch. Still consider this a second to the nomination because I think this is a worthy book - the endpapers with the real photographs are especially awe-inspiring.
The use of paintings instead of photographs in this story of the Empire State Building is quite effective. Some of the spreads are vertigo-inducing.Use of figurative language is excellent. I have a quibble with the pages where 4 men are shown in an assembly line placing a rivet. The last two men appear to be part of the same picture. If this is so, I cannot make sense of the process. Or is this just me? Otherwise, I found it to be a great title. The use of second person didn't bother me at all.
Ironically, because the endpaper photographs by Lewis Hine were so exciting, I was temporarily underwhelmed by the Ransome oils and it took me a while to switch gears and get into the story. The spread with JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, and NOVEMBER was my favorite page. A good addition to the New York building books - The Man Who Walked Between the Twin Towers and Building Liberty, and Maestro's The Story of the Statue of Liberty, etc.
Post a Comment