Monday, April 27, 2020

Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial by Linda Booth Sweeney - ESSENTIAL


Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial by Linda Booth Sweeney, illustrated by Shawn Fields. 64 pages.  NON-FICTION/ PICTURE BOOK Tilbury House Publishers, 2019.  $20.  9780884486435  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ESSENTIAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Daniel grew up among lawyers and judges, but when he tried to go to school he had trouble with his math subjects and found himself working on the family farm. One day, Dan found a funny looking turnip and decided to carve it into a frog.  When he placed the frog on his family table, his dad realized that Dan had a talent and went and bought clay.  It quickly became apparent that Dan was an artist.  Over time, Daniel became a sculptor and sculpted a hundred plus monuments.  In Daniel’s later years he designed the Lincoln sculpture found in the Lincoln monument. 

I loved this biography about a kid who didn’t know where he fit.  Daniel’s journey is inspiring for not only artists but for anyone who is looking for their passion.  I loved the support Daniel’s family provided and the unique setting of Concord, Massachusetts at the time that Daniel was growing up among men such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott’s family.  The illustrations are amazing and contribute to the feel of the sculptures.  Great history and human-interest story. 

Reviewer, C. Peterson    

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