Where Is Mount Rushmore?

Where is/are...?

by True Kelley, David Groff (Illustrator), John Hinderliter (Illustrator)

It was world-famous sculptor Gutzon Borglum's dream to carve sixty-foot-high likenesses of four presidents on a granite cliff in South Dakota. Does that sound like a wacky idea? Many at the time thought so. Borglum faced a lot of opposition and problems at every turn; the blasting and carving carried out through the years of the Great Depression when funding for anything was hard to come by. Yet Mount Rushmore now draws almost three million visitors to the Black Hills every year. This is an entertaining chronicle of one man's magnificent obsession, which even today sparks controversy.

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

112 pages, Library Binding

First published February 5, 2015

Reviews

[Sabrina Bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one. I learned a lot of information that I never knew. Makes me want to really go out to visit!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book must have been well-written because I had never given any thought to this thing, and now I wanna just zip on over there and see it!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of our most well known and loved National Memorials in our National Park system, Mount Rushmore currently draws about three million visitors a year; we were part of that number this year while attending my US Air Force reunion nearby. This was our second visit and it is still awe inspiring. Author True Kelley has written about the history of how it was created in her book Where Is Mount Rushmore. She has compiled interesting facts and details that you will not likely discover even with a visit like: 1) How were the presidents to be represented in the monument chosen and by whom? 2) Was Mount Rushmore the original location chosen? 3) How was the the creation of the monument funded? 4) Was there opposition to creating these sculptures? and much more! Much of the work to design and build the Mount Rushmore National Memorial was done during the Great Depression so funding was at times hard to come by and construction started and stopped several times. But the world-famous sculptor, Gutzon Gorglum, persevered through everything to see his dream come true. Highly recommended for everyone, followed by a trip to South Dakota.

[Erin Becker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barf fodder. Consistently refers to the Lakota Sioux in the past tense. Valorizes the sculptor (Borglum) who honestly sounds like an all around dickhead. Apparently he got fired once and smashed his prototypes with a hammer to prevent his employer from using his work?!? Oh and he was constantly firing his workers, with the exception of his son, who was employed throughout the fourteen year Rushmore project. Reading this book made me feel gross.

[Kassie R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t find this book very interesting. It was mostly about how it took way too long for mount rushmore to be built.
A few interesting facts, but none I will remember. I don’t think my kids cared for it much either.

[Mousie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking history

Fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the history and controversy surrounding this monument, with great illustrations. While I've never been able to see Mt. Rushmore in person, knowing about its background makes me want to visit it someday.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing!! I was hooked the entire book and loved getting learn more about Mount Rushmore. I felt like the book was super fitting for me because I read the book while I was in South Dakota.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book the day before we went to Mount Rushmore and I liked having some information about it to share.

[Erin Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good informative read. A precursor to visiting Mt. Rushmore with our kids!!

[Diego Palomino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book describing the process it took to develop the project and carve the mountain. The story of the major players is just as interesting. Another book read with my 10 year old daughter.

[Joanna C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was fun because it is interesting how it was built. It took 14 years and they had to overcome many obstacles. It was a miracle it was built.

[Chris Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting book I read while waiting in the doctor's office today

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The monument is absolutely beautiful. I'm only sad because it destroyed the Sioux Black Hills.

[Amy Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to my son for school. As usual with this series, I learned a lot about Mount Rushmore I never knew before.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very educational and informative book that didn't shy away from hard subjects.

[CL]

Curved in the Black Hills in South Dakota. A Crazy Horse memorial nearby has been under construction since 1948

[Tisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, yet succinct history of Mount Rushmore and its sculptor.

[Kathryn Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homeschooling Book Fun
I read this with my 4 boys (14, 12, 9, and 7 years old) to get ready for our family trip this fall.

[Madison Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on Mount Rushmore. Talks about the obstacles the builders/carvers went through as well as some history facts.

[Esther May · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting to read the back story to Mount Rushmore. I think it is so controversial. Amazing that it was built, but should it have been built in the first place?

[Bonnie🥗 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amazed at the logistics and timeline involved in creating the sculpture. Very well written.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty interesting read; feel bad for those whose land was stolen from them

[Tracy Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a read-aloud in our homeschool before doing a Rushmore-inspired field trip. I thought it may skip over the Sioux background but it did touch on it in a reasonable way.

[Kristi Clemow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting - some info I knew but this story dramatizes it. Definitely do want to see this area one day.

[Chelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about one of my favorite places. I had no idea how stubborn and ridiculous the sculptor was. I love reading these to my kids because I learn a lot from them, too!

[Kaleb Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Were Is Mount Rushmore by True Kelly. Mount Rushmore was a mountain with 4 presidents on it. Most people know were it is and some have even been there. Eventually in my life I want to go there.

I knew all the basic facts like were it is and stuff but that was it. I learned that they were originally supposed to be full body but the war called for soldiers. So the construction was stoped when the faces were done. Apparently there was supposed to be a treasure room thing.

I recommend this book to people who like statues and historical monuments.

[Victoria B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well executed book detailing the monumental task sculptor Gutzon Borglum undertook in creating Mount Rushmore over the course of 14 years. Found lots of interesting and useful information that we hope will supplement our experience when we visit...and now we can't wait!

[Aleece · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of Mount Rushmore and the artist that created this National Monument. I found a lot of the information to be very interesting and the artist that created the monument was just as interesting to read about. There were a lot of illustrations throughout the entire book and sometimes I felt that it detracted from the information but at the same time the kids like pictures and visually looking at how the monument was constructed is nice for kids to see. One thing that I really didn't like was the actual title of the book. While it talked about where Mount Rushmore was located and how the land was stolen from the Sioux it was still more about the monument itself and not necessarily the location.

There were a lot of facts that I was unaware of such as Borglum created the sling seat and possibly the coffee break (I found that amusing). Borglum also fought for Sioux rights and was even called Stone Eagle by them. What struck me the most the amount of time that it took to complete the monument and really half of the time they weren't working on it because of money issues.

Overall this was a very well thought out and well organized book that will interest kids and adults alike.

I received this advanced copy from Grosset & Dunlap through Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.