The Statue of Liberty: What in the World?

Grade 3-5–This rather unfocused title attempts to place the life of sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi in a global context. However, without any explanation, readers will wonder why they are reading about the end of slavery in North America, sheep farming in Australia, and Impressionist painters, and what these seemingly disparate elements have to do with the monument and its construction. The text is small and crowded with many drawings and photos. Unfortunately, not all of them relate to the text and some seem out of context and inappropriate. A photo of the Statue of Liberty with the Twin Towers as a backdrop reads, Although she looks almost diminutive against New Yorks modern skyscrapers, Lady Liberty stands as proudly today as ever. Many fine books tell the statues wonderful story, describe the engineering feat of her construction, and detail her place in history; this title is not one of them.