Statue of Liberty

Gr 4—6—Published to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Lady Liberty's unveiling in 1886, this book follows both Edouard Laboulaye, the president of the French Anti-Slavery Society, who provided the inspiration, and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a sculptor who specialized in enormous statues. Bartholdi was inspired by Laboulaye's idea that the French should present a gift of friendship and a celebration of liberty to the United States for its 100th anniversary of independence. From the concept, through the funding problems, the size issues, and to the transportation across the Atlantic, the construction of the platform and the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, Mann writes a fascinating chronicle, well enhanced by archival photographs and the illustrations. Witschonke's full-color drawings echo the art and feel of the period, and the associated descriptions enhance the text. The newspaper reproductions offer a glimpse at the reactions to the Statue of Liberty and an open window into its journey from France to Bedloe's Island. Mann has created a historically accurate, brilliant book about a symbol of American freedom.—Lia Carruthers, Roxbury Public Library, Succasunna, NJ