CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Queen of the Falls
CCBC Review:
In 1901, in an effort to supplement her meager finances, sixty-two-year-old Annie Edison Taylor, a retired charm school teacher, decided to become the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Annie assumed she’d reap fiscal rewards for her stunt, and to increase her chances of survival she designed the barrel herself, supervised its construction, and found a manager to promote her daring deed. After her amazing feat in 1901, however, Taylor faced one disappointment after another, from a public seemingly uninterested in a sixty-two-year-old female celebrity to unsavory opportunists looking to capitalize on her accomplishment (e.g., one hired a younger, more attractive woman to pose as Annie; two others stole the barrel). Chris Van Allsburg’s tale of derring-do and the sexism and ageism it exposes comes in a beautifully designed package. Full-page black-and-white illustrations brim with marvelous details, not the least of which are the memorable expressions on Annie’s face. He elevates her name and her story from the footnote of history with both whimsy and compassion. ©2011 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 6-10
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
20th Century
Economic Hardship and Poverty
Girls and Women
History (Nonfiction)
Sexism
On CCBC Booklist:
Between Fact and Fiction: Selected Picture Books to Encourage Critical Reading/Thinking
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin
Publish Year: 2011
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780547315812
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Van Allsburg
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.