My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Last summer I took a side trip to Niagara Falls on my way home from the Highlight's Foundation Writer's Workshop in Chautauqua, New York. I remember driving towards Niagara and seeing a huge cloud of what appeared to be smoke. It turned out to be mist coming off of the falls. I love waterfalls, but I must say, Niagara Falls is the most powerful natural phenomenon I've had the opportunity to witness. And this is coming from a girl who has lived through a hurricane.
Not long ago, I was perusing Amazon when I ran across Queen of the Falls
by Chris Van Allsburg. Two things grabbed my attention: (1) a barrel going over the falls (I knew the story), and (2) Chris Van Allsburg has a new book! In fact, this book is so new, Van Allsburg hasn't even added it to his website as of the date of this blog post (April, 2011).I love Van Allsburg's artwork and mysterious stories, so course, I couldn't resist hitting Amazon's one click button (a dangerous button for book lovers). I was curious how Van Allsburg would treat a nonfiction biography, a major parting from his standard fare. The first thing that struck me is his illustrations. They are amazing! The cover is absolutely striking. All of the illustrations are in black, browns, and white similar to old-time photographs. I won't tell you where he hid the dog. You will have to go on that treasure hunt yourself.
I read the book aloud to my 4th graders. They were intrigued by Annie Taylor's story and Niagara Falls, so of course I had to take out photos from my trip to show my students. This story is filled with teaching opportunities: make predictions, ask questions, consider risk and danger versus fame and fortune, and so much more. I highly recommend you take your children (or students) on a trip to Niagara Falls through the pages of Queen of the Falls.
Click Here for my QUEEN OF THE FALLS - LITERATURE GUIDE
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