"You Wouldn't Want to be..."

This was another book that the elementary school librarian pointed out to me. It is one of a fairly expansive series published by Salariya Publishing. I checked out and read You Wouldn't Want to Be a Worker on the Statue of Liberty  written by John Malam and illustrated by David Antram. The book takes the reader through the history of the idea and production of the statue of liberty. What is great about this book and the others in the series is that it takes the reader through the building of the statue of liberty from the perspective of a worker, a perspective this is not often discussed in our study of historical eras or events. While you get the larger picture, you also get to see all of the hard work and dangerous work that went into the various stage of production of this famous landmark. Every page is filled with information about what workers had to do to successful build, transport and construct the statue. When I learned about the Statue of Liberty, I was taught that the statue was constructed and molded in France before it was transported by boat, but what I didn't know was that as various parts of the giant Lady Liberty were constructed, they were displayed in various places. For the centennial celebration in 1876, only the right hand with the torch was completed, so that's what was displayed in Philadelphia. When the head and shoulders were completed in 1878, they were displayed at the Universal Exposition in Paris. The entire statue was constructed and displayed in Paris before it was taken apart and shipped to New York in 1884.

The Salariya Publishing website offers free web versions of several of the books in the series, which could be used for in class nonfiction projects or even as a free-time activity. (http://www.salariya.com/index.html) While these books are packed with facts, they are also funny and engaging as well. David Antram's illustrations make the books more fun and engaging. The cartoon style and the use of speech and thought bubbles allows all readers to enjoy these books.