The Voyage of the Ludgate Hill: Travels with Robert Louis Stevenson - Hardcover

Willard, Nancy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152944648 ISBN 13: 9780152944643

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1987

Synopsis

“Both children and adults will be delighted with the humor that these illustrations display. . . . [This book] blends fact and imagination, provides a wonderful way to introduce speculation, one of the higher-order thinking skills. . . . Don’t pass this book up. It’s a sure winner!”-School Library Journal

About this title

About the Authors

Nancy Willard (born June 26, 1936) is a novelist, a poet, and a children's writer and occasional illustrator. Her 1981 collection of poems, A Visit to William Blake's Inn, won the Newbery Medal as that year's most distinguished contribution to American children's literature.

Willard was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she later received the B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and won five Hopwood Awards for creative writing. She also studied at Stanford University, where she received her M.A.

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Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 6 This is an enchanting book! Willard has once again teamed with the Provensens to create another jewel in the crown of children's picture books. In ringing verse that begs to be read aloud, Willard tells her version of Robert Louis Stevenson's voyage from London to New York. Based on letters written by Stevenson in 1887 describing his trip on a cargo-carrying steamer, the Ludgate Hill, the poem introduces children to such unforgettable characters as ``a horse who admired my clothes/ but decided my vest was too hard to digest/ and my socks too involved with my toes.'' The Provensens use misty backgrounds against which are painted clearly defined figures and blend subtle hues with touches of bright, pure color in a style uniquely their own. Each illustration is filled with fascinating details that amplify and extend the story woven by Willard's verse. Both children and adults will be delighted with the humor that these illustrations display. The book, which blends fact and imagination, provides a wonderful way to introduce speculation, one of the higher order thinking skills. A nice entree into Stevenson's work, either the verses for younger children or the novels for older ones. Don't pass this book up. It's a sure winner! Constance A. Mellon, Department of Library & Information Studies, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In August 1887, Robert Louis Stevenson set sail for America. But rather than sail on a great Birmingham liner, he booked passage on the Ludgate Hill, a cargo-carrying steamer. Although the crossing was rough, the weather beastly and the discomforts numerous, Stevenson's letters homewhich inspired Willard's poembrimmed with enthusiasm and contentment. The ship had not only taken on human passengers, it had boarded some exotic animals, too. There was a baboon "playing cards with an ape in a gabardine cape" and five monkeys "twitching their tales." The poem, written in the first person, also tells of Stevenson's encounter with "a horse who admired my clothes/ but decided my vest was too hard to digest/ and my stockings too involved with my toes." Willard has written a wondrous, rhythmic poem about the events that took place during this unusual voyage. The paintings by the award-winning Provensens are superb: muted browns, blue-greens and beiges evoke the somber mood of some of the passengers aboard ship. But bright greens, reds and blues capture and accentuate Stevenson's joy and sense of adventure. Willard and the Provensenswhose talent has previously given us A Visit to William Blake's Innhave produced a spectacularly beautiful book. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152944648
• ISBN 13: 9780152944643
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Provensen Alice, Provensen Martin
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 96