The Kite That Bridged Two Nations.

O’Neill, Alexis.  The Kite That Bridged Two Nations.  Boyd's Mills/Calkins Creek  2013  unp  $16.95   ISBN 978-1-59078-938-4  elem/ms  Nonfiction picture book  VG-BN  

Homan Walsh was a typical boy who preferred flying his kite to doing school work.  He was avoiding school work one day when he saw a poster for a kite-flying contest.  The prize was $10.00, which was a lot of money in 1847.  No one was surprised when Homan entered the contest to fly a kite that would land on the opposite side of the Niagara River, which divided the two nations.  Many kids entered the contest, but Homan was at an advantage because he knew the wind.  He decided that the best southwest wind came from Canada to the U.S. at a spot above the Whirlpool Rapids.  His kite string was used to pull back across the gorge a stronger line, then another, until Charles Ellet, Jr., strung the cable he used to build the first suspension bridge in the United States.
    

Terry Widener has created some beautiful illustrations that provide readers with insight and understanding of the harsh conditions and culture of the time period.  His use of acrylics creates a realistic effect, with clear crisp hues to support the story’s message.
    

Author notes, citations, bibliography, and source notes provide further information.

Summary: This is the story of how the building of the first suspension bridge in the U. S. was accomplished by stretching the first line across a gorge during a kite-flying contest.  In 1847, this created a connection between Canada and the United States at Niagara Falls.
                 

Suspension bridges                                    --Linda McNeil

A Student's Guide to Eugene O'Neill. by Spring Hermann

Hermann, Spring. A Student’s guide to Eugene O’Neill.
Enslow, 2009, 176p, $27.93, 978-0-7660-2886-9.

This is an examination of O’Neill’s plays and how his life inspired his play writing. The author provides analysis of characters and a detailed assessment his play’s impact on society. Occasional black and white photographs highlight the text; includes chronology, chapter notes, glossary, books for further reading, Internet sites, and index.

This title is an examination of O’Neill’s plays and how his life inspired his play writing. The author provides and analysis of the characters in the dramas. There is a detailed assessment of O’Neill’s play’s impact on society and audience reactions to them as well as his influence on other well-known American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Mention of the historical background happening during the productions is a helpful aspect of this book that helps the reader gain perspective. Broadway productions as well as movies produced are discussed. The author also has a chapter about the recent revivals of O’Neill’s plays and the activities at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center for students. Occasional black and white photographs highlight the text in the appropriate places. The end of the book includes a chronology, chapter notes, glossary that has only nine words but most with somewhat lengthy definitions, a list of O’Neill’s major works, a list of books for further reading, Internet sites, and index. This title would be most useful in high schools due to the subject matter in most of O’Neill’s plays. It will be an excellent resource for English classes and for student research. I certainly learned a lot about these plays and this book has encouraged me to become an audience member for them, whenever possible. TW