Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building

Booktalk

Hopkinson, D., & Ransome, J. ( 2006). Sky boys: how they built the empire state building. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

            Have you ever seen a building so tall that it scrapes the sky?  These are called skyscrapers.  Sky Boys:  How They Build the Empire State Building by Deborah Hopkinson and James Ransome is about a very special skyscraper in New York.  Has anyone ever been to New York?  The Empire State Building was built during a very hard time for our country, kind of like now, but worse.  Many families didn’t have jobs and struggled to stay warm and keep food on the table.  This story is centered around a young boy, about your age, who walks around Manhattan searching for fire wood for his family when he notices a place where they plan to build a huge building.  He is so excited, he rushes to get his dad and ask him if he thinks they’ll be able to finish it.  His dad isn’t sure since there isn’t much money going around these days.  The boy dreams of the building, “bold, SOARING, A symbol of hope in the darkest of times.  A building, clean and simple and straight as a pencil.  And tall, so tall it will scrape the sky.”  Imagine you are way up in the sky and look down, what would you see?  Will they finish the Empire State Building?  Read Sky Boys:  How They Built the Empire State Building to find out!