Lady Liberty, A Biography (Social Studies)

Rappaport, Doreen. Lady Liberty, A Biography. Ill. by Matt Tavares. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2008. ISBN 9780763625306

Lady Liberty, A Biography is the historical account of the Statue of Liberty from its inception to its unveiling. Rappaport has creatively chosen to write this account through sequential narrative poems from the viewpoints of various historical figures involved in the statue’s creation.The book includes breathtaking illustrations by Matt Tavares that culminate in a large fold out image of an untarnished Lady Liberty on the day of her unveiling. This image elicited oohs and aahs from my own students as I displayed the image during a reading of the biography. Personal accounts of the statue’s impact as a symbol of freedom, along with dimensions and a listing of important dates add fun notes of trivia for readers to peruse. This biography of a famous American icon will capture the interest of students although the text contains a level of language that will require scaffolding for primary aged students.


Excerpt from “Marie Simon” in Lady Liberty

After months of work,
we have finished the right arm and torch.
Now we start on the left hand.
We go back to Bartholdi’s four-foot clay model.

The pointers measure her forearm, wrist,
fingers, nails, and tablet.
They multiply each part by two
to build a model twice as big.

Again, they measure and multiply,
this time by four.
Slowly. Carefully. Section by section,
the workers build a bigger model.
Bartholdi moves about like a prowling tiger,
reminding everyone to be precise.

This fun poem can be used to incorporate art and math into a lesson on American history! Learning about American symbols is a typical objective found in many elementary students’ curriculum. Read Lady Liberty, A Biography as a supplement to this unit of study. Students who are simultaneously learning their multiplication facts will enjoy understanding multiplication’s real life uses. Reread this poem to the students during a math lesson. Have students explain what is happening in the poem and how multiplication was critical to creating an accurate replica of the original model.

Give students a simple sketch, such as that of a flower, on grid paper. Have students multiply the measurements of each stroke by 4 and then enlarge the sketch on grid paper using their new measurements. Students can then water color their carefully replicated and enlarged image!