What Is the Statue of Liberty?

What was...?

by Joan Holub, Who H.Q., John Hinderliter (Illustrator)

In 1876, France decided to give the United States a very big and very special present--the Statue of Liberty. The gift was to commemorate the 100th birthday of the United States, and just packing it was no small feat--350 pieces in 214 crates shipped across the ocean. The story of how the 111-foot-tall lady took her place in the New York Harbor will fascinate young readers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Historical, American History, Biography, Family

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2014

About the author

NY Times bestselling children's book author:
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!

Reviews

[Keira77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

断断续续看完了 amazing story

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in grandma reads chapter book sessions.

It was time to learn about something patriotic, and about migrations. . . .what embraces both of those topics best? Lady Liberty! (Whose full name is Liberty Enlightening the World.) The substance of the book is everything from the conception to financing to the elements of all parts, the whos, hows and whats; the whys and whens were all affected by social debate and discussion of the day - and that is also explained since we are at such a far remove in time. Pages are filled with not just text but also welcome illustrations, photographs, charts, maps, timelines and pop-outs for relevant further-info-if-you-want-it sections that proved very helpful to my group.

Well-thought out, and split over separate sessions, this made for a productive read, with discussions resulting. I was proud and full of emotion for the collaboration between France and the US in ensuring this great monument and symbol has stood for our country for so many years. Even better, my group enjoyed What Is the Statue of Liberty? and looked forward to it. As we wrapped up today, there was a request for more books like it - the best kind of compliment.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we are on the cusp of the United States celebration of Independence and what better symbol of our country to read about for the occasion. I was fortunate enough to get to visit this enormous statue in 1976 during the Bicentennial. Yes, I walked up the 354 steps up to the crown and got to see out. It was glorious. However, that is not what I am here to talk about am I?

Joan Holub along with her illustrator, John Hinderliter began the book with the inception of the statue before it was even on paper. The duo gave complete history of the Statue of Liberty right on into present day.

The creator of the Statue of Liberty was Frederich-Auguste Bartholdi who saw the vision and created smaller versions until the statute we know now came to be. Gustave Eiffel from the later Eiffel Tower fame created the inner structures that help the statue together. This was news for me!

In fact, even though I visited this now American icon all those years ago, I learned a lot from this book. A few facts to share without giving away the entire book:

*Even though the statue was a gift, it was almost rejected by the American people, in particular the upper American wealthy at the time.

*Only the arm and the torch were originally brought to the U. S. for display. People paid to walk up a ladder to the top of the torch.

*The island the Statue of Liberty was placed on was chosen by the artist, originally called Bedloe Island.

* The statue was shipped in 350 pieces which had to be reassembled like a puzzle. The problem was that some of the boxes were mismarked upon leaving France.

*The sandals of Lady Liberty were 25 feet long, which is the equivalent of size 879.

I will not reveal more but there is so much more to read and fascinating history and people involved.
The book also includes 16 original black and white photos which were absolutely amazing to see.

Overall, if you ever get the chance to see our nations Statue of Liberty you will not be disappointed. Until you can get there, read this book and learn a little about her before you go. You won't be disappointed in that either.

This book gets 5 stars!

Disclosure:I received a copy of this book in exchange for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool

This was really cool to read about. So much work and effort was put into creating Lady Liberty and getting it to the US.

[Joanne Eglon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one.. Quick and easy to read.. So factual about the origin of the statue.
Loved it and learnt so much from this book.
Lovely illustrations throughout 💕

[Kate Schwarz]

Another great book in this series, read with my first grade son. He learned a lot, and I was reminded of what I learned some years ago, and we both decided we should get to New York sometime soon to go to and up the Statue of Liberty.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually knew very little about the Statue of Liberty. Amazing story with lots of photos of what it took to build it!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter read this book when she was doing research for her 2nd grade book report on American Symbols. Since we had recently seen the Statue of Liberty in person the previous summer, she immediately picked that as her symbol.

This book was a bit above my daughter's reading level. She is advanced and can read up to early 5th grade books in 2nd grade, but this book was 6th grade level. There was a lot of specifics she got hung up on when trying to find her 5 facts, things like specific names, which are more important for older kids. However, she learned a lot from this book.

Overall this book was pretty good, albeit being a bit more advanced that I had anticipated from the book cover and description on the ebook library website. But it has good information - we just had to read through it together a little more than I planned to find the interesting facts and not get hung up on micro details.

[Bookbag_Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Where Liberty Dwells, There Is My Country

Liberty Enlightening The World

"Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor,
You're Huddled Masses Yearning To Breathe Free,
The Wretched Refuse Your Teeming Shore.
Send These, The Homeless, Tempest-Tost To Me,
I Lift My Lamp Beside The Golden Door!"

lib·er·ty: the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life,
behavior, or political views.

1982 - 1986
The restoration was completed in 1986 and the Statue's centennial was celebrated on July 4 with fireworks and fanfare.
On July 5th, a new Statue of Liberty exhibit opened in the base of the pedestal.

TRAVELED TO // New York City & France
MET ALONG THE WAY // Édouard René de Laboulaye, Auguste Bartholdi, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Anna Lazarus, Gustave Eiffel, Joseph Pulitzer

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Is the Statue of Libert? by Joan Holub present the reader with a great overview of the history of the Statue of Liberty that has become synonymous with New York and more generally the United States of America as a symbol for freedom and independence. In this relatively short book the author follows the development from the conception of the idea for France to make a gift to the United States, to the initial planning, the design work, the fundraising in France as well as in the US for the land and the pedestal, the actual construction, display in France waiting for the foundation to be complete, shipping to the US, and the final mounting in place in New York Harbor. There it has remained wishing departing soldiers and families a safe journey and welcoming those returning home as well as new arrivals and hopeful immigrants looking for a new start. The author also includes descriptions of the preservation efforts to repair and restore Lady Liberty to her original glory. What I really enjoy with books in this series targeting the young reader is that, like this book, they are usually well researched and present a concise history loaded with the essential facts. Even though it is intended for younger readers, those of any age can enjoy it and get something out of it.

[Amity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time deciding whether to give this two or three stars. I settled on the three, because the good things about the book outweigh the one bad thing. My daughter and I really enjoyed reading all about Lady Liberty's history, particularly about the initial idea and all of the work it took to bring it to fruition. I had no idea getting the pedestal built was probably the biggest obstacle they faced in the entire process! I love knowing that it was Americans (probably including many newly, or not yet naturalized citizens) that cooperated and raised enough money to finish building it. And while I appreciated the section discussing the statue as a national symbol, I could have done without the latent, nationalistic tone that seemed to come through when the author wrote about 9/11. It was a bit of a letdown at the end of an otherwise fabulous children's book.

[Sophie Greenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "What is the Statue of Liberty?" is very insightful and an informational overview of the monument all Americans know and appreciate. Most students know what the Statue of Liberty is, but are unsure of the history behind it-- why was it given to the United States? When was the statue made? Why is it green? This book answers all of those questions for students while providing supplemental illustrations to aid with clarity. Students can understand the Statue of Liberty's rich history and also understanding the significance and activities it offers in the modern day. This is an important book for students to read to understand a crucial point in American history and culture, and I would recommend it as an independent reading choice for third-fifth graders in the social studies classroom.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything you wanted to know about the Statue of Liberty and the full history of it. This book was the perfect addition to our study of the United States history and we all learned so much. This book was so interesting that we read all 100 pages in one day. Each chapter keeps your child engaged with black and white drawings as well as real historical pictures in the middle of the book of the actual newspaper articles published about the statue as well as pictures depicting building of the statue, etc.

A wonderful addition to my home library and I am so glad I have it as I will be pulling this one down over and over again.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another short and interesting read in a series of historical books for young readers. This particular book looks at the history and construction of Lady Liberty. A gift from France in 1876 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of our independence, this 111-foot was shopped across the ocean in 350 pieces. I found the events leading up to the placement of the statue in New York Harbor and the renovation that took place decades later to add to my appreciation of this symbol of freedom and liberty in America.

[Anna Cavallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book gave a thorough history of the building of the canal. Easy to read. The early history fascinated me. The ending wrapped it up for me.

The book talks about how this man loved the way the United States had their government working. He wanted to give them a gift so he held a donation and he built the statue with his group. Then he needed help making the statue not fall so he asked his friend Gustav Eiffel and he made a metal skeleton for the inside. So he made the skeleton. Once it was done they took it piece by piece and put it in containers and sent it to the U.S. The statue had been there since 1885.

I want to go back to New York City, New York to visit the Statue of Liberty again!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book full of facts I didn’t know about the Statue of Liberty and 16 pages of photos. Covering the time from when Lady Liberty was just an idea of Frenchmen Edouard de Laboulaye & Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi at a dinner party in 1865 through the two-and-a-half years the statue was repaired just in time to celebrate the one hundred year old Statue of Liberty in 1986. Very interesting.
I highly recommend. I will certainly be taking the virtual tour of the statue soon.

[Kellan Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The statue of liberty was a good book because the statue was the tallest man made statue in new York.The statue was so tall you could see all of new York city.The statue was made all around the world in different pieces.The reason why they had to do that is because they didn't have enough material to build it in the same place.

[Suchitra Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great rea

My 8 year old daughter loved the history behind the statue. Some of the most famous people of the world came together to make this a great symbol of liberty for world citizens

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love all of these types of books and so does my daughter. They are very informative but they don't go too deep. We read a chapter a night but it can easily be done in an hour or less. Very well written and great information about an iconic statue of America.

[Josey Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

For students, this provides a fun way to learn about the Statue of Liberty. Read for a reading literacy class to implement in a lesson on social studies time lines.

Really enjoyed it as an adult. Quick easy read.

[Micaela - Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about the gift that Paris, France gave to the United States of America as a testament to the two countries' friendship. It went into detail about how long it took to build and so much more. It’s a place that people should go and visit.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved it

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visited there today and bought the book at the gift shop for my son.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have yet to visit the Statue of Liberty.

[Desmond · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was really boring but I learned new stuff from this book.

[Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a nice and cool

[Gideon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looked at the virtual tour that the book mentioned and it was really interesting.

[Yasaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

it would be great if the book contained colored illustrations instead of black and white
but the information and everything was very good 💙💙💙

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read! Loved learning about the design and construction of the statue.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks about the history of the Statue of Liberty and how it was built. I like this book because of all the interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty.