Skip to main content

Statue of Liberty: A Tale of Two Countries

By

Statue of Liberty: A Tale of Two Countries
by Elizabeth Mann
Mikaya Press, 2011. 47 pages. Nonfiction.

With the upsurge of anti-French sentiment seen in the last decade (remember freedom fries?), it is refreshing and informative to be reminded of how good the French have been to the United States in the past. In fact, the symbol of our country's enduring freedom, Lady Liberty, was envisioned, created, and payed for through the tireless efforts of two Frenchmen, Edouard Laboulaye and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Since 1776, when America had declared her independence, through the 1870s, there had been many different governments that had risen and fallen in France. Many French people looked to America in hope that one day their country would also become a democracy. Laboulaye especially hoped for this, and had become France's foremost authority on America's history, government, constitution, and laws. His dream was to present a monument of liberty to America in 1876 in honor of the 100th anniversary if its independence. He had to be careful, because the emperor of France, Napoleon III, did not support friendship between the two countries. Bartholdi was an artist who was captivated by Laboulaye's idea. It took 20 years and the unflagging persistence of these men, but finally the Statue of Liberty was unveiled in New York Harbor, where she has been the symbol of hope and freedom to millions.

This is a fascinating story that is well told by Elizabeth Mann and beautifully illustrated by Alan Witshonke.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

By
Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Bletchley Riddle

By
  The Bletchley Riddle By Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Fiction. 392 pages. It's spring of 1940, Hitler has swept through most of Europe, and people believe England will be next. Half Polish-Jewish, half American Jakob has been recruited from Cambridge to Bletchley Park where they are working on deciphering the enigma machine. Jakob's sister Lizzie, meanwhile, is being forced to move from London to Cleveland to live with her grandmother after her mother disappeared in a 1939 attack in Poland. Lizzie manages to escape the keeper her grandmother sent for her to bring her to America and makes her way to Bletchley, where she's eventually given the task of delivering messages between departments. When secret messages begin appearing with Lizzie's belongings, she must decipher them to find the truth about her mother's past and location, while keeping the secrets away from the MI5 agent that seems a little t...
Post a Comment
Read more