How Emily Saved the Bridge: The Story of Emily Warren Roebling and the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

by Frieda Wishinsky, Natalie Nelson (Illustrator)

Overview

The amazing story of Emily Warren Roebling, the woman who stepped in to oversee the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, which was completed in 1883.

Emily was not an engineer, but she was educated in math and science. She married Washington Roebling, the chief engineer of the famous bridge. When Washington became ill from decompression sickness, Emily stepped in, doing everything from keeping the books, to carrying messages for her husband, to monitoring the construction of the bridge. She was the first person to cross the Brooklyn Bridge when it opened.

Emily, who went on to study law among many other accomplishments, is an inspiration to all, as demonstrated through Frieda Wishinsky’s informative and engaging text and Natalie Nelson’s distinctive collage illustrations. Speech bubbles revealing imagined dialogue add a playful note to this historical account, which includes fascinating facts about the Brooklyn Bridge and a further reading list.

Key Text Features
further reading
speech bubbles

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773061047
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	05/01/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	218,850
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

FRIEDA WISHINSKY is the award-winning author of more than eighty books — including picture books, novels and nonfiction — which have been translated into many languages. Each One Special, illustrated by Werner Zimmerman, was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award, and Please, Louise! illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. More recently, Frieda has written the novel A Flower is a Friend, illustrated by Karen Patkau, and How to Become an Accidental Entrepreneur with Elizabeth MacLeod. Frieda grew up in Manhattan and has always loved crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. She now lives in Toronto, Ontario.

NATALIE NELSON is an illustrator and author of many books for children. Her most recent titles include Dog's First Baby and Cat's First Baby, published by Quirk Books, and Holiday!, published by Groundwood Books. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and numerous other editorial publications. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two young children. 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for How Emily Saved the Bridge :

“Wishinsky’s quippy dialogue and well-researched storytelling capture the passion and intelligence of the extraordinary Emily . . . . Nelson’s whimsical cut-paper collages, an interplay of bright blocks of color and black-and-white photography, capture a rapidly growing city in the flux of modernization. . . . Another win for the ladies of STEM.” — Booklist , STARRED REVIEW

“A strong and honest homage to a remarkable woman.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The playful illustrations by Nelson help make the long-ago 1880s feel candy-colored vivid. And the use of dialog in speech balloons lightens the story, making it fun and accessible. Wishinsky hits all the right historical notes with careful accuracy while still molding the story to have direction and focus.” — New York Journal of Books

Praise for Avis Dolphin by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Willow Dawson:

“Moving and inventive … a vivid and relatable account of a not-so-distant tragedy.” Quill & Quire

“This child’s view of the event with eye-catching illustrations is an accessible take on the historic event.” Booklist

Praise for Please, Louise! by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay:

“… Wishinsky presents a common family problem with humorous, understated dialogue.… Warm-hearted and funny, this is a very fine picture book, with a great match between illustration and text.” Quill & Quire , starred review

Praise for A Storytelling of Ravens by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Natalie Nelson:

“Offbeat nonsense humor of the highest order: not to be missed.” Kirkus , starred review

“In this charming tribute to the quirkiness of collective nouns, playful artwork and clever captions invite children of all ages to contemplate a variety of amusing scenarios illustrated in bright colors and bold patterns.” Foreword , starred review

Editorial Reviews

05/06/2019

Wishinsky begins her story of Emily Warren Roebling with a modern mother and child crossing the Brooklyn Bridge: “Emily Roebling inspired me to become an engineer.” In 19th-century New York, the text explains, girls were told that they shouldn’t study math or science—a suggestion that Roebling pointedly rejected. Roebling marries an engineer who begins designing a bridge to span the East River; when he becomes ill, she educates herself in engineering and design in order to assume her husband’s role. Wishinsky details the missteps and triumphs of the bridge’s construction, while Nelson illustrates in an eclectic collage art style with paper doll–like characters and playfully skewed perspective. Roebling’s story doesn’t end with the bridge’s completion: “In 1899, she graduated in law from New York University. She was fifty-six years old. Her final essay focused on equal rights for women.” Ages 7–10. (May)

Publishers Weekly

The playful illustrations by Nelson help make the long-ago 1880s feel candy-colored vivid. And the use of dialog in speech balloons lightens the story, making it fun and accessible. Wishinsky hits all the right historical notes with careful accuracy while still molding the story to have direction and focus.

New York Journal of Books

Wishinsky’s quippy dialogue and well-researched storytelling capture the passion and intelligence of the extraordinary Emily . . . Nelson’s whimsical cut-paper collages, an interplay of bright blocks of color and black-and-white photography, capture a rapidly growing city in the flux of modernization. . . . Another win for the ladies of STEM.

Booklist

2019-02-13

In mid-19th-century America, Emily Warren's desire to learn was considered an anomaly.

But she had the support of her family. Her older brother enrolled her in a school where she studied sciences, mathematics, history, and more. After graduation she married engineer Washington Roebling, who, with his father, John, faced the challenge of designing and building a suspension bridge to connect Manhattan and Brooklyn. During construction, John died as the result of an accident, and Washington developed caisson disease and was so disabled that he couldn't walk or stand. He continued to oversee the project while Emily became its de facto engineer, learning along the way, directing workers on-site and winning their respect, and coping with every aspect of construction. She was certainly not an unsung heroine and was given the honor of being the first to cross the completed bridge. An unnamed modern woman of color introducing Emily's spirit and determination to her child narrates the tale in accessible, conversational syntax, including her accomplishments in later life when she became a lawyer and wrote of equal rights for women. Nelson's lively, colorful illustrations combine digital collage incorporating contemporary photos with cartoon drawings complete with imagined dialogue in speech balloons. Oddly, Emily (white, as are the Roeblings) is depicted throughout with a very red nose and heavily rouged cheeks.

A strong and honest homage to a remarkable woman. (additional facts, suggested reading, sources, author's note) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews