A story about a well-known statue that you've never heard before. Where is Lady Liberty going now?
What is this story about?
This book takes the reader through the process of how the Statue of Liberty was made and transported to New York where it still stands today. The book discusses specific details of the statue and focuses on the right foot. The book creates a believable story about Lady Liberty being on the move, as her right leg seems to be in motion. The statue shows the chains of freedom being broken and Lady Liberty heading towards the sea as she welcomes the "poor, the tired, the struggling to breathe free. After all, the Statue of Liberty is an immigrant, too."
Meet the author:
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an author of many books, including Heroes of the Frontier, The Circle, The Wild Things, and A Hologram for the King. He is the cofounder of: Voice of Witness, an oral history series focused on human-rights crisis; 826 National, a network of writing and tutoring centers; and ScholarMatch: which connects donors and under-resourced students to make college possible. He currently lives in San Francisco with his wife, who is also an author, and children. Visit his website https://daveeggers.net/dave-eggers to learn more!
Meet the Illustrator:
Shawn Harris
Shawn Harris is an artist and musician who lives and works in Morongo Valley, California. This is his first published book! Visit his website https://www.shawnharris.info to see more of his artwork!
My Critique/Review:
I think this book is perfectly written and illustrated for young children. It takes an important issue like immigration, and breaks it down to create a fun, interesting, and easy to follow story. There are not too many words on each page, making it easy to understand and read. Furthermore, the illustrations are so colorful, fun, unique, and detailed. I love how the illustrations consist of a two page spread on each page, making the images seem so big and catch the readers eye. This book meets my expectations of a good children's book because it is fun, humorous, and educational. It teaches students about the history of an important figure in the U.S., as well as, other educational things like: the geography of NYC, oxidization of copper, and a glimpse into French culture. Most importantly, however, this book incorporates an important message about following the example of a famous U.S. icon, and being open and welcoming to immigration.
Thoughts:
After reading, Her Right Foot, I was able to analyze the theme of the book. What stood out to me when reading, was the idea of welcoming immigration with open arms. This book discusses how the Statue of Liberty was made in France and transported to America, meaning that she is an immigrant herself. Throughout the book, the author focuses on the fact that the right leg/foot of the statue, seems to be in motion. According to the author, the statue is walking towards the sea to welcome the poor, the tired, the struggling to breathe free (Eggers, 2017, pg. 88). The book continues to bring up how Lady Liberty is determined to meet and welcome every new face that arrives in America, as she has done for years. "If the Statue of Liberty if a symbol of freedom, if the Statue of Liberty has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States, then how can she stand still?" (Eggers, 2017, pg. 77). The book goes on to say that "Liberty and freedom from oppression are not things you get or grant by standing around like some kind of statue. No! These are things that require action. Courage. An unwillingness to rest" (Eggers, 2017, pg. 80). I think this quote is very powerful and brings together the story-line and the theme of the book. Even though the author is telling his theory in a casual way, he is still bringing up the big ideas of immigration and breaking free from oppression. He uses the Statue of Liberty, a well-known symbol of freedom, to remind readers that freedom is not just given, one needs to fight for what they believe in and we as people, need to encourage and welcome immigrants with open arms. America is not done, and should never be done accepting people, as America was founded and prospered by immigrants! The Statue of Liberty should be an example of how we as American citizens, should act when it comes to immigration issues.
When researching more about Dave Eggers and #OwnVoice, I came to realize that Dave is very passionate about the topic of immigration. Some of Mr. Eggers most popular books touch on the topic of immigration. These include: The Monk of Mokha, What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, and Zeitoun. When digging into Dave Eggers life, looking for his inspiration behind his passion for immigration, I found a key part in his life. Dave Eggers is married to writer, Vendela Vida, the daughter of two European immigrants. Even though Mr. Eggers does not identify as part of the immigrant community, having two close family members who do, plays a big role in his passion for it.
When analyzing the images of this book, I realized the illustrator used the artistic medium of construction paper and India ink, creating an almost crayon looking design. The illustrator uses this medium to create an almost 3D, overlapping look, which can be seen on page 7-8, showing a rendition of a cafe in France. The illustrator is very minimal in his representations, but adds certain details that play off the author's writing. On page 10, we see Frederic Auguste Bartholdi holding his menu in one hand and a banana in the other, in the same stance that the Statue of Liberty stands today. During this part of the book, the author is telling how Edouard de Laboulaye had the idea to create the Statue of Liberty and convinced Bartholdi to help, while eating at a cafe in France. Furthermore, on pages 21-22, we just see a huge ocean with a tiny ship sailing by. This page is describing how the Statue of Liberty was shipped from France to America. During this point, the illustrator does not need to add much, but rather, adds a small detail that makes the authors words come to life. The illustrator's subtle touches and details, many being humorous ones, promote the author's writing and message to the reader. Lastly, one small detail that the illustrator included that really stood out to me was on the front and back end-pages. When you first open the book, you see an image of what looks to be maybe part of Lady Liberty's torch. This page is colored in brown, however when you flip to the back page, the same image is shown in green. This small detail represents one piece of information that the author touched on in the book: "the Statue of Liberty was made of copper, and copper starts out brown. Then, very slowly, when left outside for long periods of time, copper will eventually oxidize and turn this blue-green color" (Eggers, 2017, pg. 27-28). This detail from the illustrator does not stand out to the reader unless they are looking very closely. I really liked how this detail was included to tie the book together and show the progression of the statue being made to where it stands today, years later.
When looking at this book through a critical lens, this picture really stood out to me. On this page, the author discusses that the Statue of Liberty is in fact an immigrant as well, being the reason that she is in motion to welcome others. What really caught my attention on this page was the image of the mother and baby, overlooking the statue. I think the illustrator makes the mother very close and big on this page, wanting this to be the main view of the reader. They want the reader to focus on the mother to see the world through her perspective. I really love this image as it shows a mother's love for her baby, no matter the cultural differences that the mother and reader may share. It shows a mother arriving to a new place, with many thoughts racing through her mind. When I first read through the book and saw this picture, it looked to me like the mother's eyes were closed praying. I imagined her holding her baby close, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and praying a sign of relief that she has finally made it to freedom. After re-looking at this picture, my thought of it changed. I now notice that her eyes are open, looking down at the statue. She is still holding her baby close, but her facial expression looks tired and uninterested to me. To me, this represents her journey to America and finally arriving. She has traveled from far away and is wondering if she has made the right decision. She may be thinking about her new life in America and how she will be welcomed by the community. She may have left a life of hardship, but questioning what her new life will hold for her and her baby.
When thinking about how I can incorporate this book into my classroom, there are lots of ideas that come to mind. I think it would be neat to discuss the history of the Statue of Liberty, where it came from, why it was brought here, and take a deeper look into some of the sources provided in the back of the book. Then, have students write a poem or story about what the statue means to them. What emotions or personal stories does it evoke? This could then lead into a discussion about immigration, looking at student's immigration experiences, and then ultimately, about the theme of this book, being open and welcoming to immigration.
Making Connections:
When thinking about this book and others that we have read, one connection I was able to make was the idea of #ownvoice or personal inspiration between Her Right Foot and My Two Blankets. The author of Her Right Foot, Dave Eggers, has a personal connection to immigration, as both of his in-laws are European immigrants. Furthermore, Irena Kobald, the author of My Two Blankets, is an Austrian immigrant herself. By both authors having personal ties to immigration, they are very passionate about it, which comes off in their work. They have both written books about immigration or the feelings that emerge when leaving home.
Furthermore, another connection I made was between Her Right Foot, My Two Blankets, and Wishtree. All of these books share a common theme of immigration and the feelings that come with it. In My Two Blankets, Cartwheel moves from her war-torn country to a new place, struggling to adjust to a new culture, language, and feelings of strangeness. In Wishtree, Samar's family is of Muslim faith. They arrive in a new place and must deal with the feelings of not being welcomed or wanted. Finally, Her Right Foot, discusses immigration as The Statue of Liberty is an immigrant herself. It goes on to describe how the statue arrived in the USA, its purpose, and goal of embracing and welcoming immigrants for years to come.
Other children's books with a strong theme of immigration: My Name is Yoon, One Green Apple, Coming to America, The Day War Came, The Name Jar, Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Maker's Strike, Mama’s Nightngale: A Story of Immigration and Separation, Inside Out and Back Again, I Lived on Butterfly Hill.
Useful Links:
Teaching Ideas: https://asulearn.appstate.edu/pluginfile.php/122111/mod_page/content/20/her-right-foot-teacher-guide.pdf
Statue of Liberty Webcam: https://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/statueofliberty/
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9qw1Xyby30
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPkt0MaEXiY
Books about Immigration: https://www.readbrightly.com/books-about-immigration-for-kids/
Books about Immigration: https://www.earlychildhoodeducationzone.com/childrens-books-about-immigration/
Teaching Ideas: https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=55469
My Two Blankets blog post: https://sivretmr.wixsite.com/blog/post/my-two-blankets
Wishtree blog post: https://sivretmr.wixsite.com/blog/post/wishtree
Dave Eggers books about immigration:
1. The Monk of Mokha: https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=59069
2. What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng: https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=19169
3. Zeitoun: https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=26868
Sources:
Dave Eggers. Photo of Author Dave Eggers. Printed from The Independent, by Author S. Bradbury, 2018, Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-
Eggers, D. (2017) Her Right Foot. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC
Shawn Harris. Photo of Illustrator Shawn Harris. Reprinted from Chronicle Books Blog, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/2018/10/08/13-