From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8 -This wonderful interdisciplinary selection pairs poetry of varying forms with the artistry of well-known architectural marvels throughout the world. The 13 monuments include Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the Statue of Liberty, and the Great Wall of China. Lewis has attempted to match the appropriate poetic form to each structure. He uses blank verse, rhyming couplets, acrostic, shaped or concrete poetry, and others. His verses celebrate the beauty of each monument or the incredible skill and artistry that developed it. Many of the photos are dramatic and taken at unusual angles such as the one of the Golden Gate Bridge. Facts including the monument's date, location, chief engineer or builder, and physical dimensions are included. An introductory poem sets the tone for the book. In the epilogue, Lewis repeats his goal and invites his audience to celebrate other monuments with poetry as he did. A world map shows each site's location and a facing page includes thumbnail photos and additional information. A solid and enduring addition to any collection.
-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. After an introductory poem ("A bow to all who hoist the spirit high / And carve imagination into stone . . . ") Lewis offers 14 poems celebrating monumental structures. From the remnants of civilizations at Stonehenge, Easter Island, and Machu Picchu to the more modern achievements of the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty, the subjects are varied and the accompanying photos are striking. Lewis chooses something worth saying about each subject and says it with style. His poem on the color of the Golden Gate Bridge is particularly fine. The verse forms differ from concrete and acrostic forms to more traditional rhymed stanzas. Richly colored, the photographs are notable for their clarity, lighting, and dramatic compositions. The book's closing pages offer a world map showing the site, thumbnail pictures of the monuments with a little more information in tiny type, and credits for the photos. In an epilogue that teachers will appreciate, Lewis reflects on this project and challenges children to write their own "word pictures."
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
