Hanging off Jefferson's Nose: Growing Up on Mount Rushmore

Despite travelling through South Dakota a few times, I have never visited Mount Rushmore.  This coming summer this is where we plan to take our family vacation.  My oldest daugher, a history buff, has already read a few things in preparation.  I was excited to see Hanging off Jefferson's Nose by Tina Nichols Coury in a library catalog and took it home to read to my own children (when school resumes next week I'll be sharing it with the third grade classes). 

This book gives the full story of how Mount Rushmore came to be.  From the selection of the mountain to the presidents that were to be included, and the buildings constructed for the workers to live in as work continued, I was fascinated.  Although Gutzon Borglum began this project, the time it took to complete it was extensive and he never lived to see it. Instead it was his son, Lincoln, who finished what his dad had started. 

Sally Wern Comport's illustrations are beautiful and I felt as though I had been transported into a time where I could witness for myself the construction of this American symbol.

Seeing the non-fiction offerings that children are provided now makes me envious of them.  The non-fiction from my era was usually a dry, boring text, often without pictures.  Hanging off Jefferson's Nose is a great story accompanied by fabulous illustrations that will appeal to my students and amaze them at the same time.

I have enjoyed looking at Tina Nichols Coury's website as well. She has lots of great teacher ideas that I am excited to use!