Margo’s pick from the library this week was a surprise! She insisted on getting Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis. She does love purple and blue, so those colors on the cover may have pulled her in. Margo has been walking around the house exclaiming “wheel” ever since we finished reading it. I think she wants a ride! Too bad it’s snowing outside.
This is
the inspiring picture book biography of George Ferris and how he came to build
a structure that defied gravity and became a staple at fairs, carnivals, and
amusement parks. How many of us have ridden a Ferris Wheel at some point in our
lives? I have to say I was intrigued by her pick and curious to learn how the
first one came to be. The World’s Fair was coming to Chicago in 1893, so the
search was on for the design that would top the Eiffel Tower, the standout of
the last fair. None of the ideas were new and exciting enough for the committee.
When George Ferris, an engineer, brought his proposal to the board they weren’t
sure because they thought it was too big and that it wouldn’t work. The fair
was only a handful of months away when the committee decided to give the go
ahead to Ferris. There was intense pressure for everyone working on the project
and they also had to deal with frozen ground and Chicago weather.
The story really makes you feel the anticipation when Ferris and his wife take the first ride. I would have been so scared! I loved learning about how the invention came together was surprised to hear about the large glass cars. Once the fair was over it was even taken down and put up at other locations! Wow! I was amazed at how fun it was to learn about history from this delightful picture book. Margo loved the illustrations and pointed to pictures as we read. After we finished I had to look up what the cars looked like, since I couldn’t imagine how big they were. I was stunned!
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel is a great book for people who like to learn about history in an interesting way or for people who like a good ride. I bet you will learn something new too!
Happy reading! ~ F
The story really makes you feel the anticipation when Ferris and his wife take the first ride. I would have been so scared! I loved learning about how the invention came together was surprised to hear about the large glass cars. Once the fair was over it was even taken down and put up at other locations! Wow! I was amazed at how fun it was to learn about history from this delightful picture book. Margo loved the illustrations and pointed to pictures as we read. After we finished I had to look up what the cars looked like, since I couldn’t imagine how big they were. I was stunned!
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel is a great book for people who like to learn about history in an interesting way or for people who like a good ride. I bet you will learn something new too!
Happy reading! ~ F