The Kite that Bridged Two Nations: Homan Walsh and the First Niagara Suspension Bridge

by Alexis O'Neill, Terry Widener (Illustrator)

Overview

Homan Walsh loves to fly his kite. And when a contest is announced to see whose kite string can span Niagara Falls, Homan is set on winning, despite the cold and the wind—and even when his kite is lost and broken. Homan's determination is beautifully captured in this soaring, poetic picture book that features Terry Widener's stunning acrylic paintings. Both author and illustrator worked with experts on both sides of the falls to accurately present Homan Walsh's story. The book also includes an extensive author's note, timeline, bibliography, and further resources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635928426
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Alexis O'Neill is the author of picture book biographies about people who made an impact on the world such as Homan Walsh (The Kite That Bridged Two Nations), Jacob Riis (Jacob Riis’s Camera), and Melvil Dewey (The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey) as well as books about friendship such as in The Recess Queen, and others. In addition to writing books for kids, she is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. The California Reading Association awarded Alexis the Dr. Marcus Foster Memorial Award for making significant and outstanding contributions to reading throughout California. She lives in southern California with her husband and can be reached at alexisoneill.com.

Terry Widener is the award-winning illustrator of more than thirty children’s books, including Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book, The Babe and I, a California Young Reader Gold Medal Award, and America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and ALA Notable Children’s Book. He lives with his wife in Texas. Visit terrywidenerart.com.

Editorial Reviews

"O'Neill's spare text communicates both grandeur and dignity and manages to cover a good amount of territory. . . Widener's full-page acrylic paintings closely follow the narrative, emphasizing the harsh winter landscape and giving a clear sense of the odds against spanning the gorge. An extensive author's note spells out what is known and not known about the story and supplies additional facts abou the building of the bridge." — Booklist

"Widener's acrylic paintings capture the determination of the boy, the frozen, deeply chilly landscape, and the danger and power of the falls . . . memorable and dramatic." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

A young kite enthusiast lends his skill to an engineering feat--the construction of the first suspension bridge downstream from Niagara Falls. O'Neill's narrator (16-year-old Homan Walsh in 1847, from the author's note) recounts in free verse his entry in the kite-flying contest posed by the bridge's engineer. The winner must anchor a line 240 feet across an 800-foot chasm between the United States and Canada above Whirlpool Rapids. Though his father is unimpressed by his passion for kite-flying, for the boy: "This is what I studied-- / reading the wind, / calculating lift, / gauging line length...." He launches his carefully made kite from the Canadian side, knowing how the winds would work. As the wind drops at midnight, there's "suddenly, a sag, a jerk. / The heavy line went slack! / It snapped on ice below." The young hero waits ("Kind folks in Elgin sheltered me") for ice to clear so he can return home to mend his rescued, broken kite for a second, successful attempt. Widener's acrylic paintings capture the determination of the boy, the frozen, deeply chilly landscape, and the danger and power of the falls. In a later scene, the completed bridge imposes order on the wild waters below. Backmatter includes a timeline, source list and more complete story of what is actually known or surmised for the story's telling. Memorable and dramatic. (Fiction. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews