Synopses & Reviews
"Give me your tired,and#160;your poorYour huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . . "
In 1883, Emma Lazarus, deeply moved by an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe, wrote a sonnet thatand#160;gaveand#160;a voice to the Statue of Liberty.and#160; Originally a gift from France to celebrate our shared national struggles for liberty, the statue, thanks to Emma's poem,and#160;came toand#160;define us as a nation that welcomesand#160;immigrants.and#160;Theand#160;text of thatand#160;now famous poem,and#160;"The New Colossus," appears in this free-verse biography, illustrated in an exquisiteand#160;folk art style.and#160; and#160; Theand#160;New Colossus by Emma Lazarus hasand#160;been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 4-5, Poetry)
Review
"This informative book would be a great addition to dictionary lessons or to studies of the formation of the United States."
and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
"A good deal more fun than the subject might suggest."
and#8212;Booklist
"The volume is a wonderful success in introducing Webster in such a charming manner."
and#8212;Kirkus
"Ferris presents a unique and inspiring cradle-to-grave biography . . . [a] useful and entertaining volume."
and#8212;Horn Book
"The clever text, insertion of dictionary words, and hilarious illustrations make this a perfect book for everyone who loves words. This is a book to remember!"
and#8212;California Kids
"Engaging."
and#8212;Bulletin
"It's just as timely as old-timey and#8212; a charming book about a boy who preferred to read rather than do as his forefathers did."
and#8212;New York Times Book Review
"Delightful, educational, and completely fascinating."
and#8212;Huffington Post
"What really singles out this picture book is its ability to incorporate definitions within the text without sounding contrived."
and#8212;EW.com
"A rousing success."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
Jane Addams Children's Book Award 2011
Junior Library Guild Selection
and#160;
"Nivola's rectilinear compositions and poses, her generalized figures, and her bright, limited palette recall Barbara Cooney's period scenes, capturing New York City's opulent upper crust and the indigent yet dignified newcomers with equal skill. An excellent introduction to both Lady Liberty and the poem."--Horn Book, starred reviewand#160;
"The art and words are moving in this picture book, which pairs free verse with detailed, fullpage paintings in watercolor, ink, and gouache to tell the history behind Lazarus' famous inscription on the Statue of Liberty."--Booklist
"Aand#160;gentle tribute to Emma Lazarus, very much in the style of Barbara Cooneyand#8217;s Eleanor (Viking, 1996)...The pictures, with their slight folk-art feel, capture both the time and action of the story, while the text illuminates the woman. An authorand#8217;s note and the full text of the poem complete the book. A worthwhile addition for most collections."--School Library Journal
"Nivolaand#8217;s watercolor-and-gouache paintings are rich in color and detail, showing the elegant streets and homes of 19th-century New York City as well as its settlement houses. Line, pattern and a sense of place give young readers a rich vision of the "golden door" by which "your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" came to this country. Nicely done, enabling even young children to see how the poem and the statue came together."--Kirkus
Synopsis
An innovative picture book biography about the man who wrote American history by creating the first dictionary for the United States.
Synopsis
A picture book biography that shows how one poetand#8217;s voice forever changed the way we view perhaps the most symbolic piece of art in America: the Statue of Liberty
Synopsis
Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction
Websterand#8217;s American Dictionary is the second most popular book ever printed in English. But who was that Webster? Noah Webster (1758and#8211;1843) was a bookish Connecticut farm boy who became obsessed with uniting America through language. He spent twenty years writing two thousand pages to accomplish that, and the first 100 percent American dictionary was published in 1828 when he was seventy years old. This clever, hilariously illustrated account shines a light on early American history and the life of a man who could not rest until heand#8217;d achieved his dream. An illustrated chronology of Websterand#8217;s life makes this a picture perfect bi-og-ra-phy [noun: a written history of a person's life].
About the Author
Vincent X. Kirsch is the author and illustrator who has worked with publishers such has Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, and Bloomsbury USA, where artwork for his first book Natalie and Naughtily was accepted into the 2008 Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators in New York.andnbsp;He now lives in Los Angeles, California.andnbsp;Noah Webster and His Wordsandnbsp;is his first book with Houghton Mifflin.Visit his website at vincentxkirsch.com.