Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea: A Fairly Fabricated Story of a Pair of Pants

by Tony Johnston, Stacy Innerst (Illustrator)

Overview

Wild West chaos and creative problem solving are the force behind a well-loved American institution.

What’s a California miner to do when gold dust sifts right out of his holey pockets? With such a raggedy wardrobe, he may as well be mining in the vanilla (that is, his birthday suit)! Good thing Levi Strauss is out west, ready with his needle and a head full of bright ideas. With some quick thinking, quicker stitching, and handy arithmetic, Levi keeps all the gold rushers clothed—and becomes a modern American hero. A Wild West tall tale, Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea celebrates creativity, innovation, and the ubiquitous item that fills the closets of grateful jeans wearers worldwide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152061456
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/13/2011
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	328,766
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Tony Johnston is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for young people, including the New York Times bestseller Off to Kindergarten, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and The Quilt Story, illustrated by Tomie dePaola. She lives in California, where she was born and raised.

Stacy Innerst is an award-winning editorial artist and the illustrator of several picture books, including Lincoln Tells a Joke, Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea, and The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny). He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Using the scant facts available, Johnston (My Abuelita) offers a loose, tall-tale account, "stretche to near popping," of how Levi Strauss came to be credited with creating the blue jeans that still bear his name. Strauss traveled from New York to California in 1853, years after the pioneering '49ers ("He rushed slowly, so he came late and missed the gold. ‘Dang!' said Levi Strauss"). Noticing the miners' threadbare—or nonexistent—pants, Strauss realized their need for "pants that last" ("Corduroy, wool, tweed, flannel, burlap... they didn't last long in the gold fields. Soon, every miner was sluicing for color in his long johns—or naked as a jaybird"). The durability of the canvas tents Strauss created for the men led to an "aha moment"—and the first jeans. Johnston creates an unrepentantly exaggerated version of events that is sure to entertain, offering more factual information about Strauss in an author's note. Using a bright idea of his own, Innerst (Lincoln Tells a Joke) chronicles the raucous action in acrylic paintings on a canvas of, yes, old Levi's jeans. The denim's texture provides an appropriately rugged tone to the colorful proceedings. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"By the second spread, with miners working in their long johns or, discreetly, "in the vanilla," listeners will be thoroughly hooked. The humor is broad and the language inventive, yet reminiscent of the times."—Kirkus Reviews   "Johnston creates an unrepentantly exaggerated version of events that is sure to entertain, offering more factual information about Strauss in an author's note. Using a bright idea of his own, Innerst (Lincoln Tells a Joke) chronicles the raucous action in acrylic paintings on a canvas of, yes, old Levi's jeans. The denim's texture provides an appropriately rugged tone to the colorful proceedings."—Publishers Weekly, starred review   "An outlandish whopper of a tall tale, this story just begs to be read aloud with an old-timey Western accent. Johnston weaves together fact and fiction, resulting in a hilarious narrative about how Strauss became the denim king... A first choice for any collection, this book is worth its weight in denim–or gold."—School Library Journal, starred review   "Johnston antes up the readaloudability with traditional tall-tale banter and a bold-faced "Dang!" every time Strauss gets a brainstorm. Innerst extends the fun by painting the sartorially challenged miners on, what else, blue jeans, craftily leaving the blue untouched for jeans, tents, chalkboards, ocean, and bay, and letting flat-felled seams do double duty as the floor of a covered wagon or the roadway of the Golden Gate Bridge."-Bulletin —

From the Publisher

K-Gr 3—An outlandish whopper of a tall tale, this story just begs to be read aloud with an old-timey Western accent. Johnston weaves together fact and fiction, resulting in a hilarious narrative about how Strauss became the denim king. Students will delight in chiming in on the repeated exclamation "Dang!" As with all tall tales, outlandish explanations abound, and, in this particular yarn, readers learn about the creation of the beautiful city of San Francisco. An author's note gives the concrete facts about the true Levi Strauss. The illustrations are as unique as the tale, and children will be fascinated by the side-splitting facial expressions and zany action found on each page. Even more delightful is the fact that Innerst painted the scenes on old pairs of Levis. A first choice for any collection, this book is worth its weight in denim—or gold.—Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA

School Library Journal