Author: Andrea Zimmerman
Illustrator: Ju Hong Chen
Peach’s Picks Rating:
Year of publication: 2011
City of publication: Gretna, Louisiana
Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
ISBN: 978-1-58980-954-3
Author website: http://www.andreaanddavid.com/index.htm
Illustrator website: http://www.artbrokerage.com/artist/Ju-Hong-Chen and http://pelicanpub.com/products.asp?cat=1461
Media used for illustrations: Watercolors
Annotation: Travel writer, Eliza Scidmore, journeyed around the world. Her travels took her to Japan where she admired blossoming cherry trees. Scidmore’s passion for cherry trees leads to their planting in Washington, D.C.
Personal reaction to the book: This informative picture book tells two stories. One story concerns the life of Eliza Scidmore while the other explains how cherry trees came to surround the Washington, D.C. tidal basin. Eliza Scidmore was a world traveler, a travel writer, and a photographer. She was one of the first women to work for and contribute to the National Geographic Society. She also took pictures for the Smithsonian Institution. While visiting her brother in Japan, she fell in love with Japan and its culture. The blooms of spring-time cherry trees made a deep impression. While spending time in her hometown of Washington, D.C. she envisioned the tidal basin surrounded by blooming cherry trees. For 20 years, Scidmore worked to have her vision come to life, without success. Finally, President Taft’s wife shared her vision and Scidmore’s dream came true. Unfortunately, there was another obstacle to surmount. The first shipment of cherry trees from Japan was destroyed and had to be replaced. Visitors to our nation’s capital still enjoy what has become a symbol of Washington, D.C. thanks to Eliza Scidmore. The Impressionist-like watercolor paintings are beautiful and give the reader a sense of time and place. The paintings are accompanied by sepia-toned drawings in the borders of pages. The book reads aloud well. The illustrations are large enough to be viewed by a group of students. A timeline of Scidmore’s life is included at the end of the book. Included in the timeline is the phonetic pronounciation of Scidmore’s name, “Sid-more”. I appreciate this because I strive to pronounce names correctly. I enjoy books such as this that conceptualize places, ideas, or events. Other picturebooks offering insights into established holidays, food, or everyday tools include:
- Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson - story of Sarah Hale who worked to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.
- Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully – story of Margaret Knight, an inventor.
- George Crum and the Saratoga Chip by Gaylia Taylor – story of the potato chip
General curricular connections:
- Women’s History Month
- Washington D.C.
- Back stories of events/place/articles that are taken for granted
- Use in conjunction with class trips to Washington, D.C.
Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends this book for use with grades 4-6
Booklist recommendation not available
Peach's Picks recommends this book for use with grades 4-6
Awards/Recognitions: None to date
Note: This book applies to the assignment criteria - books published in 2010-2011
Simile: Page 10; “As the petals drifted own, it was like pink snowfall.”
Symbolism: Opening page – Scidmore’s picture showing cherry blooms behind her head imposed in front of an American flag. Included in the blue of the flag are pictures of Mt. Fuji and the Washington Monument. The red circle of the Japanese flag is partially shown on the left side of page. These pictures and symbols combine to symbolize Scidmore’s affections for America, Japan, and Washington, D.C.
Symbolism: Pages 6-7; Illustrations include a husky dog and a grizzly bear, symbolizing Eliza’s travel to Alaska
Book cover picture retrieved from http://pelicanpub.com/proddetail.asp?prod=9781589809543
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