Deborah Hopkinson

“Hop­kin­son and Ran­some chron­i­cle the con­struc­tion of this famous build­ing through the eyes of a young boy. The present-tense text gives the book a true You are there feel as the author describes both the actu­al build­ing process and its sig­nif­i­cance as a sym­bol of hope dur­ing the Depres­sion era. The pac­ing is nev­er rushed, but at the same time it moves along at an ener­getic clip that match­es the speed that char­ac­ter­ized the con­struc­tion of this Nation­al His­toric Land­mark. Ransome’s stun­ning oil paint­ings vary in per­spec­tive as read­ers look up at what was once the tallest build­ing in the world, and then down from dizzy­ing heights as work­ers perch on gird­ers on the 47th floor, feed­ing pigeons while tak­ing a break for beef stew and cof­fee. An authors note reflects the painstak­ing and care­ful research done by both author and illus­tra­tor to ensure as authen­tic a pre­sen­ta­tion as pos­si­ble. This is a fas­ci­nat­ing look at a slice of Amer­i­can his­to­ry and a worth­while addi­tion to any col­lec­tion.” (School Library Jour­nal)