but not quite as wonderful as Her Right Foot, I did not have super high expectations of this book because it doesn't have super great reviews and I've heard a lot of people saying that it wasn't very childfriendly.
I've also never finished a sitelinkDave Eggers bookhe is just not my favorite author, But maybe because I have such a fondness in my heart for the city of San Francisco, I really really liked this book.
First impressions: it's very minimalist, with a rough paper cut style of art, It's not perfectly done there are rough edges, as though it was hurriedly done with regular scissors, no xacto knife involved, In a spread with stripes, one of the stripes is actually two separate strips of white paper, not even fully overlapping, I'm sure that this is intentional, but I can't say I really care for it, Many of the twopage spreads have very simple shapesrectangles, flat expanses, the most complex being faces of all different colors, Maybe it's not the most childfriendly style, but it's so visually striking I certainly don't think children would be bored by it,
Now for the text, It's definitely really long for a picture book, Some of the pages have several paragraphs of text, and it's actually overpages long seemed like less to me, but I'm going off of the goodreads description given.
However, I think that the writing style is definitely geared towards children, It has a very personal tone that I think kids would like, Here's an example that I like:
The Navy thought it should be black, No kidding. They did. The Navy thought the bridge would be safer that way, so ships and planes could easily see it,
The Army had a stranger idea: How about red and white stripes they said, This is true. This is a factual book,
The Army wanted it to look like a candy cane for the same reason the Navy wanted it to look like a tiger with jaundice: so that it would be easily seen by planes and ships.
I think that the key here is that it's really for older children, This is probably for the elementary age set, and I think it would be absolutely perfect for a fourth grade read aloud, since that's when they learn about California history.
AgesI guess I have to categorize this as a kid's book, It looks like one with the simple cutout art and poster colors, And it's not told on a simple level, But it doesn't read like a kid book, much, Too much talk, too many words, and kind of meandering prose, The point of the books s that people worked together to demand that the bridge NOT be gray, but orange, that it was "people" collectively that made that happen.
The fam and I went through SanFran in late August, and we took pics of the bridge, so when I saw Eggers signing copies of the book
at the NCTE conference in Minneapolis recently, I picked it up.
I thought they would like it, and they did, they though it was good, I thought it was good, too, but not great, The paper stock is heavy and the whole artifact is lovely, The dustcover folds out to a poster, I guess it is for bridge lovers and lovers of collective action and beauty,.stars
I picked this up because it looked interesting, and then felt further intrigued by the fact it was written by Dave Eggers.
The combination of the deadpan text and the quirky illustrations made of paper cutouts reminds me of a They Might be Giants song.
A charming and interesting story about the Golden Gate Bridge, with bonus emotional uplift coming from the power of citizen activism, which helped to decide on the colour of the bridge.
Although I liked the Statue of Liberty book better, I love the way Eggers tells the story and the illustrations, I think kids will really be captivated by it and will definitely learn something new, I have a confession to make, I, a dedicated school librarian, have not written a book review in over a year, I have not written a review since Amazon bought Shelfari, my favorite book platform, where I had written and posted more thanreviews.
Shelfari was "absorbed" by GoodReads, and in protest, I stopped writing reviews,
Until Dave Eggers, who previously only wrote great books for adult audiences, decided that he would try his hand in the world of children's books.
And in this book, he wrote ", . . for a good portion of the human race, because something has not already been, that is a good reason to fear it coming to be.
" Thank you Mr. Eggers.
I actually purchased this book because I was so enamored with "Her Right Foot", a book published last month/, Apparently, this is where Mr, Eggers began his children's book career, Not all authors make a smooth transition, but no worries Eggers has a voice that will charm and delight the most jaded of readers.
And if you want to try reading this aloud, the story's charm increases tenfold, Add to all of that the element of NONfiction, and you have a definite winner,
Though I have traveled the Golden Gate Bridge in the Francisco Bay, and been privileged to view many images portraying the Bridge in all of its spectacular glory, Eggers tells me a story heretofore unknown to me.
Here is a story of remarkable collaboration people inviting people to share opinions and ideas to arrive at something none imagined on their own.
This is also a story told with a remarkable voice something that is very difficult to teach so make sure you teachers sit up and notice, because here is an example that we can and should use in our classrooms.
A model. Not unlike using a model of a bridge before it is built, Or a model of a statue, . . read "Her Right Foot" next you will not be disappointed,
Thank you, Dave Eggers!
The Golden Gate Bridge is the most famous bridge in the world, It is also, not entirely coincidentally, the worlds only brightorange bridge, But it wasnt supposed to be that way,
In this book, fellow bridgelovers Dave Eggers and Tucker Nichols tell the story of how it happenedhow a bridge that some people wanted to be red and white, and some people wanted to be yellow and black, and most people wanted simply to be gray, instead became, thanks to the vision and sticktoitiveness of a few peculiar architects, one of the most memorable manmade objects ever created.
Eggers really has a flair for picture books, Informative with a touch of whimsy, Very informative and interesting book about Golden Gate Bridge! Really enjoyed it! Highly recommended!! Paper collage artwork features here as readers learn about how the Golden Gate Bridge came to be painted the bright color it boasts today.
Not only was their dissension about whether to build a bridge from San Francisco across the bay to the small towns on the other, but there was much discussion about the future bridge's shape and color.
Young readers may appreciate the determination of ordinary citizens such as Irving Morrow who lifted their voices and wrote letters calling for a more colorful bridgeanything but gray.
Although gray might have seemed like the perfect choice due to San Francisco's fog and how the bridge would blend it with its surroundings, eventually all those voices had their way.
Readers may enjoy seeing some of the actual letters that were sent to Morrow extolling the beauty of an orange bridge, I had no idea that the paint on the bridge needs constant upkeep or that,gallons of paint are used on it every year.
The illustrations will appeal to a young audience while the text is probably too dense for most of them unless read aloud or shared in brief installments.
But it is wonderful to see the impact one person and others who agreed with him had on a structure and a color choice.
The book provides ready evidence that one person can make a differencein this case, a difference that is seen every time someone looks at that amazing Golden Gate Bridge, now a beloved San Francisco landmark.
Fun and hip way of conveying the story of the Golden Gate, A love letter to a bridge, to the bay area, to the amazing things humans make, to collage art, to color, to caring about something that will have an impact.
Usually, when a book is this thick, I read the blurb and maybe flip through the pages before I put it out on the shelf.
But the small number of words per page and the big, friendly paper cutout illustrations caught my eye,
I like this book, It's approachable for many ages, It tells an interesting story in an interesting way, And it works. After seeing this advertised on McSweeney's I ordered a few thinking it would make good gifts this holiday, and also teach the kids about the bridge they cross every so often.
The illustration is clean and simple, but didn't do much for the kiddos ages four to nine, Also, in the process of reading, I noticed some redundancies and extraneous parts meant for humor that needed summarizing and glossing over so as to stay on rhythm.
Overall, it is an inspiring and educational book that reminds us of San Francisco's willingness to take creative risks even back when bridges were supposed to be gray or black.
Richies Picks: THIS BRIDGE WILL NOT BE GRAY by Dave Eggers and Tucker Nichols, ill, Chronicle, Marchrevised edition,p, ISBN:
“ And the light of fog
blanketing the hills
drifting in at night
through the Golden Gate
to lie on the city at dawn”
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from “The Changing Light”
“Leon designed a suspension bridge, one with swooping lines and tall towers.
It would be the longest suspension bridge in the world, It would be the tallest, too,
Everyone was excited about this design,
I like it very much, said this man,
My aunt likes it very much, said this woman,
This third person was chewing food but seemed to agree with the other two people,
But still the bridge appeared a bit stern in style, So Joseph and Leon asked another person, named Irving Morrow, to help out,
Irving Morrow was an architect, and his wife, Gertrude, was an architect, too, and together they lived not far from the Golden Gate.
They designed homes, and gardens, but Irving had never designed anything at all like a bridge, Nothing this big or grand or important to so many people all at once,
Irving threw himself into the work, He suggested that the bridge have vertical fluting and art deco flourishes, He suggested pedestrian walkways on either side of the bridge, He suggested that there be beautiful lamps along the walkways, Just about none of these things were necessary for the functioning of the bridgethey could have just built it plainer, and cheaper, and quickerbut Irving Morrow thought that the bridge could be both a bridge and something like art.
This was a new idea to many of the people who were involved in this project, ”
I frequently drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to visit my grandkids in the North Bay, Crossing the bridge, whether in rain, fog, or sunshine, is always a breathtaking experience,
Did you know that the Golden Gate Bridge was built in thousands of sections that were shipped from the East Coast to California by boats that passed through the Panama Canal
Did you know that the U.
S. Navy thought the bridge should be painted with yellow and black stripes so as to be readily seen by planes and ships
Did you know that those thousands of sections of bridge that passed through the Panama Canal had been primed with an orange sealant paint
These are a few of the facts I learned from THIS BRIDGE WILL NOT BE GRAY, a great read for tweens who will appreciate the books wittiness and may well be inspired to learn more about the art deco architectural style.
Art deco is also the architectural style of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building in NYC
We learn that, as he watched the Bridge being assembled day by day, Irving Morrow thought that the orange primer was so beautiful that the Golden Gate Bridge should remain that color.
In the face of opposition, he began an energetic campaign to persuade everyone that he was right, And, as we know, Irvings idea won out,
Tucker Nichols illustrates the book with cut paper collages,
THIS BRIDGE WILL NOT BE GRAY was originally published inby McSweenys Publishing, a nonprofit founded by the author, Thanks to the new edition being published by Chronicle, this captivating piece of illustrated nonfiction will now reach a wider audience,
Richie Partington, MLIS
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