It began in 1865 as a romantic idea. But ten years later Edouard Laboulaye’s dream catches fire and takes shape. Sculptor Auguste Bartholdi gives the dream the form of a lady holding a torch to “enlighten the world.” Engineers, plasterers, carpenters, and coppersmiths work together to turn the lady into a 100-foot tall monument. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer asks readers to help fund a pedestal. Hundreds of people send in nickels, dimes, and even roosters for the cause. 8-12 years
Let Liberty Rise! How America’s Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty
By Chana Stiefel, Illustrated by Chuch Groenink
On America’s 100th birthday, the people of France built a giant gift! It was one of the largest statues the world had ever seen — and she weighed as much as 40 elephants! And when she arrived on our shores in 250 pieces, she needed a pedestal to hold her up. Few of America’s millionaires were willing to foot the bill.
Then, Joseph Pulitzer (a poor Hungarian immigrant-cum-newspaper mogul) appealed to his fellow citizens. He invited them to contribute whatever they could, no matter how small an amount, to raise funds to mount this statue. The next day, pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters poured in. Soon, Pulitzer’s campaign raised enough money to construct the pedestal. And with the help of everyday Americans (including many thousands of schoolchildren!) the Statue of Liberty rose skyward, torch ablaze, to welcome new immigrants for a life of freedom and opportunity! 6-8 years
Her Right Foot
By Dave Eggers, Illustrated by Shawn Harris
This is a fun take on nonfiction that investigates a seemingly small trait of the Statue of Liberty. What is found is more than history, and more than art. It is a powerful message of acceptance that is essential to America’s creation. 6-9 years
Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?
By Martha E. H. Rustad, Illustrated by Holli Conger
Do you know that the Statue of Liberty hasn’t always looked green? Or that the first torch had to be replaced? Lady Liberty has been an important United States symbol for more than one hundred years. Join Mrs. Bolt’s class as they visit the statue and learn where it came from, how she was built, and what American ideals she stands for. 5-8 years
My Little Golden Book About the Statue of Liberty
By Jen Arena, Illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
Now the littlest readers can learn about how the Statue of Liberty came to be—and what it means to people all over the world.
Preschoolers will learn the fascinating story behind the creation of the Statue of Liberty. Simple words and bright artwork bring to life the story of the people—a professor, a sculptor, a poet, a newspaperman—who helped establish this famous landmark. Little ones will learn that the torch was created first, in time for America’s 100th birthday, and displayed in a park. And they’ll gain a clear understanding of what the Statue of Liberty has always meant to people around the world. Fun facts, such as how schoolchildren gave their pennies to help pay for the base of the statue, complete this nonfiction Little Golden Book. 2-5 years
Saving Lady Liberty: Joseph Pulitzer’s Fight for the Statue of Liberty
By Claudia Friddell, Illustrated by Stacy Innerst
Here is the story of how the Statue of Liberty got its pedestal when Joseph Pulitzer, a Jewish immigrant and famous newsman, created one of the first American crowdfunding campaigns to raise money for it.
When Joseph Pulitzer first saw the Statue of Liberty’s head in Paris, he shared sculptor Auguste Bartholdi’s dream of seeing France’s gift of friendship stand in the New York harbor. Pulitzer loved words, and the word he loved best was liberty. Frustrated that many, especially wealthy New Yorkers, were not interested in paying for the statue’s needed pedestal, Pulitzer used his newspaper, the New York World, to call on all Americans to contribute. This is the inspiring story of how one immigrant brought together young and old, rich and poor, to raise funds for the completion of a treasured national monument. 7-10 years
The Statue of Liberty (Blast Back!)
By Nancy Ohlin, Illustrated by Roger Simó
When people think about the Statue of Liberty, that iconic statue will surely come to mind. But why do we have that statue, and who is that woman anyway? This nonfiction book, complete with black and white interior illustrations, will make readers feel like they’ve traveled back in time. It covers everything from how the statue was built to the history behind its creation and more. Find out interesting, little-known facts such as how it almost didn’t get built and how the man who designed the Eiffel Tower designed the “spine” of the statue. 7-10 years
Liberty Arrives! How America’s Grandest Statue Found Her Home
By Robert Byrd
America’s most iconic national symbol was a gift from France to the United States–provided America raised the money for the pedestal on which it was to stand. Urged on by the publisher Joseph Pulitzer, it was raised, largely with the help of children, in the first example of a crowd sourced fund-raising campaign. This book tells the story of the best gift ever: how it was designed, created, transported, and then finally erected on its pedestal in the entrance to New York Harbor. Readable text is enhanced with illustrations chock-full of historical detail. 6-9 years
Naming Liberty
By Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Jim Burke
This book weaves together two stories at once as readers see young Gitl in Russia leaving her home for America. She wonders what new name she will choose for herself when she arrives. And artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi dreams of a monument he wants to build honoring freedom. It is an arduous journey for Gitl as she and her family travel across land and sea to arrive on America’s shore. When she sees the magnificent Statue of Liberty, she knows her name must be Liberty too. 6-9 years
The Story of the Statue of Liberty
By Betsy Maestro, Illustrated by Giulio Maestro
“Written for the youngest audience…the text is very simple yet manages to convey all the major events in Liberty’s creation…” — Horn Book 6-10 years
What is the Statue of Liberty?
By Joan Holub, Illustrated by John Hinderliter
In 1876, France decided to give to the United States a very big and very special present — the Statue of Liberty. The gift was to commemorate the 100th birthday of the United States. This is the story of how the 111-foot-tall lady took her place in New York Harbor. 8-12 years
The Statue of Liberty
By Elaine Landau
This book details the history of the Statue of Liberty, where it came from, who designed it, and its significance in American culture and history. 7-9 years
Emma’s Poem
By Linda Glaser, Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
In 1883, Emma Lazarus, deeply moved by an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe, wrote a sonnet that gave a voice to the Statue of Liberty. The statue was a gift from France to celebrate America’s national struggles for liberty and independence from Great Britain. Because of Emma’s poem, the Statue of Liberty came to define America as a nation that welcomes immigrants. 4-8 years
The Statue of Liberty
By Lucille Recht Penner, Illustrated by Jada Rowland
Over 125 years ago our beloved Statue of Liberty made its way to New York Harbor. This is the story of how Lady Liberty was sculpted, made its way from France, unveiled, and became an American icon. Level 2, 4-6 years.
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
Author Tracey E. Fern climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo in Florence, Italy. She “wondered how such an enormous structure could have been built in the fifteenth century.”
Researching the Duomo, she found Filippo Brunelleschi. She wrote Pippo The Fool, about how Filippo, considered a fool, constructed a masterpiece.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore/The Duomo
Filippo, an architect without formal training, entered a competition that changed his life and that of the city of Florence forever. In 1418, the Florence wool merchant’s guild decided to solve a problem. The Duomo’s construction begun in 1296, had never been finished. No one knew how to construct a dome without buttresses and Gothic arches for support. In Florence, both were thought to be undesirable. The existing walls also required an octagonal shape. How could a stable eight-sided dome be built?
Filippo Brunelleschi
The guild held a competition for architects with the winner building the dome. Filippo Brunelleschi’s idea seemed the most promising. He designed an interior and an exterior dome. With this design, expensive wooden scaffolds would not be needed. But Filippo would not tell anyone how he would construct the dome. He thought his idea would be stolen. Filippo seemed both stubborn and foolish — Pippo the Fool.
The people in charge of the project hired Filippo. But they required that well-known architect, Lorenzo Ghiberti, to work on the project with him. Lorenzo had lost to Filippo in the competition. Now Filippo was forced to work with Lorenzo.
It was Filippo, without any help from Lorenzo, who constructed the dome. He invented complex machines that lifted heavy sandstone beams and over four million bricks above the Cathedral. These machines were unique. According to National Geographic, “…they weren’t rivaled until the industrial revolution.”
Filippo designed the dome’s brickwork in a herringbone pattern. This added stability. And his design used a lighter interior and exterior two-dome design. This worked where a heavier single-dome design might have failed.
Completed in sixteen years, the dome is a testament to the genius of Filippo Brunelleschi.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
