Product Description
Publisher: General Protestant Episcopal S. School Union, and Church Book SocietyPublication date: 1859Subjects: ClergyRhode IslandBiography ... Read more

Product Description
The mills at Wicksbridge are imaginary, but their planning, construction, and operation are quite typical of mills developed in New England throughout the nineteenth century.Amazon.com Review
In Mill, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year,David Macaulay pays tribute to the historically important mills of19th-century New England. Using close-up pen-and-ink illustrations,Macaulay thoroughly explains the Yankee ingenuity that went into theelaborate process of running machines that were generated by the flow ofwater. In the case of this cotton mill in the imaginary town ofWicksbridge, Macaulay also demonstrates how important the mill was to acommunity's economic and social viability. In one scene, he shows the menand women celebrating the framing of the mill with a festive,barn-raising-style party. Macaulay tracks the mill's history, expertlyexplaining how all its new fixtures and materials reflect the political andindustrial changes in the country. For example, in 1852 the owner sideswith his abolitionist wife and shuns the use of "Negro cloth," inexpensivecloth made from slave-picked cotton. Instead he decides to start producingmulti-colored, finer fabrics--a decision that leads to the expansion of themill and the introduction of the steam engine. This is a finelywoven offering, filled with technical intricacies and intriguing historicaldetails. But ultimately, Macaulay's Mill is generated by the humanstory that led to the building of New England's cotton mills--as well astheir eventual demise. (Ages 9 and older) --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

History is fun
Just about anything by this author makes history fun, learning a real experience, and picques a reader's curiosity. Students can be seen sitting quietly and reading.

Mill
I enjoyed this book.This the third book I've enjoyed by this author.Mill is good but it could have been more in depth.I realize that it was the author's intent to show only two northeastern mills but it would have been helpful to have seen examples of other mills.Of particular interest to me are mills that used tub wheels.There were no mention of these in the book. The book did fill a need for me as I was researching a particular mill. Based on the book I was able to determine what kind of wheel arrangement was used in the mill being researched.I felt that the drawings in "Cathedral" were better.Almost a great book.

More For Adults Than Children
This is a fascinating account of the life and times of a millwright and his trade. Details on choosing a location for the mill, building the mill, and how the machinery to grind the grain worked puts the reader in the position as the millwright himself. This book is written as part history book, part informational, and even part journal, using fictional diary entries to give the reader a sense of the everyday life of a miller. A touch of drama is thrown in as we read of mill-workers who are injured and/or killed while on the job -
"1864 August 15: Mary McDonnell was drawn into the machinery by the belting today and lost her right arm below the elbow. I fear the heat will not help her recovery
August 17: Mary McDonnell died today, the infection having spread too quickly from her injury. I will send her wages on to her mother in Southbridge."
This book is supposedly written for children - I first discovered it in an elementary school library - but I find it more suitable for adults. I have found that many history books geared toward the younger set can have information not found in the more adult-oriented books. The Mill by David Macaulay is one of them. The illustrations themselves are very well done, and the details of running a mill is probably the best I have seen thus far.
Great reading about the lifeblood of a 19th century community.

Epic and Educational
Macaulay is an illustrator, architect, engineer, historian, economist, anthropologist and story-teller. He puts all of this knowledge and skill into Mill. It is a totally one-of-a-kind book that does not easily fall under any traditional category. It is often labeled as a "kids' book" because it has pictures and is relatively short. But very little of the educational content would be considered common knowledge for adults. It reads like a history text-book, a technical manual, and a novel all in one.

It is an epic, multi-generational story of a fictional New England town that is born out of the textile boom of the Industrial Revolution. You follow the cotton-milling and cloth-weaving operations of this town and its mills as they grow and expand, incorporate new technology, and endure the tides of fortune. Along the way, you get to learn all the details of the planning, the machinery, the construction, read excerpts from the characters' journals and watch the town slowly grow and change over time. In the end, this short book feels like a monumental journey and it will leave you not only satisfied but smarter too.

I've read most of Macaulay's books and this is probably the best.

Very informative and visually amazing
I bought this for my son, who has always been intrigued by construction projects, but I have also enjoyed it quite a bit and learned a lot from it. One point I would make is that it is not quite as simple as some of Macaulay's other books, such as Castle and Cathedral. Whereas those books are easy for even a four-year-old to comprehend, Mill has a more involved story-line and will require more explaining from a parent. I would say that ideally it should be for older children for that reason. But, that doesn't change the fact that it's a great book, and of course the illustrations are amazing. ... Read more

Product Description

Only Robert ever sees the plane. But the pilot is shadowy -- maybe his missing father, maybe not.

Robert doesn't mention this vision to Elliot, his cousin, whom he meets when he moves from Ohio with his mother and sister to live out the war with his grandparents in Rhode Island. Elliot can draw better than anyone Robert has ever seen, but he keeps his talent hidden in Grandpa's house. He won't say why. No one will talk either about Robert's father, who left the house as a teenager, never to return. After one dinner, Elliot draws a picture of Grandpa wielding a carving knife like a murder weapon.

The time is February 1942, and Nazi submarines are torpedoing U.S. ships off the coast. In March, two tremendous guns are trundled to nearby Fort Brooks. They are mighty sixteen-inch bore Naval guns, one hundred forty-three tons apiece, capable of firing all the way to Nantucket Island. Elliot is frightened by the sight, but half an hour later he's got them down on paper, their huge gray barrels, the nervous crowd of townspeople. "Everything was just like that," Robert exclaims when he sees the finished drawing. "Only this is even better."

"That's what happens," Elliot says with a nod. "If I do it right, that's exactly what happens. The real thing gets caught....It can't get you."

Also watching the guns' arrival is another artist -- a well-known one from Germany -- Abel Hoffman. A recluse, he becomes Elliot's teacher and friend. But his prowls along the beach raise local suspicions, and his arrest, when it occurs, unleashes havoc in a scene neither cousin can forget.

This is a story of dangers lurking inside and outside a house, of deceptive enemies and secrets held too long, and how two friends must find their own very different ways of fighting back. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

A Criticism
okay, listen up.
(
Every time I go to a list of REVIEWS, everyone starts with sometimes (LENGTHY) synopses of the book under discussion.

WHY?

First of all, if anyone BOTHERED to look at the page, they would see there is already a well-written synopsis of the book.

Secondly, even if they did not read that, surely, seeing 15 or so ADDITIONAL (lengthy) synopses should tell you we DO NOT need YET ANOTHER one.

People, a REVIEW is NOT a NEEDLESS play-by-play of everything that happens in the book.IT SHOULD BE what you feel are the strong and weak points of the book and to whom and why you might/might not recommend it.

PLEASE, STOP REWRITING the stories in your reiews--the actual books are generally much better than your ENDLESS synopses!!!!!!!

The Art of Keeping Cool
The Art of Keeping Cool
The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle is about a boy named Robert. Robert lives in the time period of World War II. With Robert's dad in the Air Force, his mom can't support their farm in Ohio. They are forced to move to Sachem's Head, Rhode Island to live with his father's family. Here is where Robert meets his shy cousin Elliot.
Robert quickly finds out that Grandpa Saunders is a really mean old man with a difficult, stubborn, personality. The book gets interesting when Elliot befriends a German artist who gives him art lessons. Robert is very suspicious and doesn't like Elliot going to see the artist behind his back.
The book has a shocking ending and is a great, well written book. It also keeps readers on the edge of their seat.

Kieron P.age 11

The art of keeping cool
The Art of Keeping Cool
I have recently finished reading the book The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lise. It was a very interesting book about a boy named Robert who moved to Rhode Island after his dad joined the U.S. army for World War 2. Robert soon makes friends with his cousin Elliot and they go on many exciting adventures.
One involves a German painter, an angry town, and two teenage boys' behaviors. Elliot is a really good artist but he wants to be better. So he goes to see the German painter and gets lessons from him. Robert completely disagrees with Elliot's careless decision.
Will Elliot's secret be revealed to everyone? Theirs only one way to find out, buy the book, it is an amazing book and it holds you to the very end. Not to mention an interesting twist.


Noah M.

The Art of Keeping Cool
I have read The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle. The setting is during World War 2 in Sachem's Head, Rhode Island.
The main character is Robert. He lived on a farm but his mom wanted to move closer to Robert's dad's family because he went to help in the war. When Robert gets to Sachem's Head, he thought his cousin, Elliot was super weird.
Later that day, Robert finds out that his grandfather is horribly mean to everyone. Robert also finds out Elliot is okay because Elliot shows Robert a perfect drawing he had completed quickly.
When Elliot, a sensitive person, befriends a famous German Artist things get really complicated.
I think the meaning of this awesome book is about how hard things were for a lot of people.
This book is like real life. People worrying for their loved ones fighting in wars.
Will things be okay or will Robert and Elliot be in the biggest pile of trouble of all time? To find the answer you need to read the best book I have ever read!

Sarah S. Age: 11

A Distant Family
A Distant Family

The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle, is so far my favorite book about World War II. I would have never thought that a book about World War II would intrigue me as much as The Art of Keeping Cool has. I give my recommendation to people of all ages as long as you are into World War II, drama, and a family who has many hidden secrets to reveal.
Robert and Elliot Saunders are cousins and the main characters. Robert is very athletic and, he stands up for himself. Elliot on the other hand, is very quiet and does not like attention. Elliot hasn't even mentioned to his family that he has great artistic skills. He doesn't stick up for himself.
Robert and his mom, along with his younger sister Carolyn, are moving from their farm to Sachem's Head because Robert's dad is serving in the war. The family is going to live in a cottage next to Robert and Carolyn's paternal grandparents. Grandma Saunders is very nice to every body in the house, including Grandpa Saunders even though he doesn't deserve to receive kindness.
Living in the town of Sachem's Head is a German man named Abel Hoffman. Since Abel is German, the people of Sachem's Head have their suspicions about Abel Hoffman being a spy but, what they don't know is that Abel is only a man living in Sachem's Head making paintings, waiting for World War II to end, or is he?
After awhile of Elliot not choosing to see Abel's drawings after Abel had asked him, Elliot secretly takes art lessons from Abel and Robert doesn't like it at all. Will Robert or the town's people ever find out if Abel really is a German spy? And will Robert find out why his dad is as invisible as a ghost in the house? Don't be lazy, go to the library and find out yourself.

Sonny S. age 11
... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. After being forced to leave the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Roger Williams travels south and, with the help of the Narragansett Indians, founds Providence, Rhode Island. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great History book for young readers
I am very impressed with the detail of this book.2nd - 4th graders are introduced to the Puritans' struggle for religious freedom and their tendency to fall back to old patterns of persecution.Roger Williams and his family are portrayed as the real people they were, making it easy for the ready the empathize.However, the books ends with the comment that the separation of church and state has been secured by our constitution, which is untrue.The separation of church and state is an idea that came through a court decision years after the constitution was ratified.

This is a fun and adventurous book.
This is an adventurous book, and it is a true story.I learned that the man who founded Providence is named Roger Williams.It was nice for the kids that it was told from his daughter's point of view.I gave the book three stars because the people in the pictures were stiff and not real looking.I would recommend this book for someone who likes history.

Finding Providence Is Historically Accurate and Interesting!
I was elated to find this book, have purchased 10 copies to date for children, cousins, etc.As a 13th generation direct descendent of Roger Williams daughter Mary (later married John Sayles) who tells the simple yet historically correct and fascinating story of her father's banishment from Mass. and how they ended up "founding Rhode Island."This is simple to read for children and interesting for adults alike.I would like to recommend this for all school age children interested in learning more about our American heritage.

A book every child and adult should read.
I read this book to my two boys, ages 5 and 9.They enjoyed learning about such a great man.Of course, we unlike many Americans, knew something about Roger Williams before we read this book.We are descendents of his, through his son, Daniel.I was very proud to read about such a great man, who did the courageous things that he did at the time that he did them and to be able to call him Grandfather, was a treasured moment.Thank you to the Author for writing the book.What most people do not know is that Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church and State were ideas that he was the first to fight for in America.So whether you are Baptist, Catholic, Muslim or Buddhist, you should Know that the men who wrote the American Constitution, got some of their ideas from a man who lived 150 years before their time; and that he fought for you to be able to worship as you choose. ... Read more

Product Description
In their elegant Providence Shop, Italian emigre sisters Anna and Laura Tirocchi sold French couture clothing to an elite clientele.The shop, remained virtually untouched from 1947 until 1990, when RISD Museum curators were given their choice of its contents, which included apparel by Paul Poiret, Lucien Lelong, and dresses in the style of Madeleine Vionnet. All reflect the advent of modernism in the Paris art world of 1920s and 30s, when designers, painters and printmakers were collaborating as never before to create fashion.From "Paris to Providence" catalogues these efforts with beautiful illustrations and six essays that examine the era's social and art-historical issues. ... Read more

Product Description
Seasons in the Fall chronicles the magical journey of the 1971 and 1972 CumberlandRI High School soccer team, which rose from obscurity and advanced towards a state championship. This moving memoir is told through the eyes of the authorwhose daily journal entries provide readers with the essence and emotions of high school soccer back in the days before soccer moms and travel teams. Amusing and poignant, this intimate memoir recalls the challenges and triumphs, disappointments and lessons of small town life and high school athletics, and demonstrates the the importance of team camaraderie and individual dedication. ... Read more

Product Description
Front Pockets catalogues the exhibition of Providence based sculptor Jonathan Bonner that was held at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design from November 9, 2001-January 27, 2002. The catalogue/artist's book contains 20 pages of duotone images of objects, sculpted by Bonner, to be carried in the front pockets of trousers.

Afterword is written by Judith Tannenbaum, Curator of Contemporary Art, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. ... Read more