Stand Straight, Ella Kate

by Kate Klise, M. Sarah Klise (Illustrator)

Overview

Ella Kate Ewing was born in 1872. She started out small, but she just kept on growing. Soon she was too tall for her desk at school, too tall for her bed at home, too tall to fit anywhere. Ella Kate was a real-life giant, but she refused to hide herself away. Instead, she used her unusual height to achieve her equally large dreams.

The masterful Klise sisters deliver a touching and inspiring true story about a strong-minded girl who finally embraced her differences. It's the perfect book for every child who has ever felt like an outsider.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101641705
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/29/2010
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	50 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise are sisters and co-creators of many award-winning books for children. Kate lives in Norwood, Missouri, and Sarah lives in Berkeley, California.

Editorial Reviews

The Klise sisters (the Little Rabbit books) tell the story of Ella Kate Ewing, who turned what could have been a miserable existence into a life of dignity. Gigantism, not understood in the 19th century, made Ella a child who needed a specially made desk and wore size 12 shoes. The advice her parents gave her forms the title of the book, but Ella, 8’4” by age 22, suffered, and Kate Klise portrays her plight with sensitivity: “I was too big for the world.” As a museum exhibit in Chicago, the discomfort of public display is offset by the phenomenal pay; at 18, she makes more in five months than her father’s farm makes in five years. Wealth brings independence, a house, and a thirst for new experiences: “[T]he more I saw of the world, the more I wanted to see. Because as big as I was, the world was so much bigger. And I intended to see it all.” M. Sarah Klise’s acrylic paintings give a sense of the historical setting without drawing attention to themselves; modest colors and conventional forms echo Ella’s humility. A quiet story with unexpected impact. Ages 6–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Ella Kate Ewing had gigantism, a glandular disorder that gave her an adult height of 8 feet 4 inches and size 24 feet. Her story is told in the first person, recounting how troubled she was by teasing in her youth, but how she turned her condition into a job-appearing in circuses and museums and at fairs-and a means to achieve independence and to help her family. She grew up in Missouri in a log cabin her father built, and the title comes from her mother's admonition as she tried to keep Ella Kate clothed properly. M. Sarah Klise's acrylic-on-Bristol board paintings are friendly and colorful, rendering the late-19th-century images with softly exaggerated gestures. The author's note is informative, but it does not include references-a lamentable omission, as it makes further investigation of this fascinating subject difficult. Children will likely be captivated by both the story and Ella Kate's quiet and direct voice. (Picture book/biography. 5- 9)

Kirkus Reviews