Review by Booklist Review
The late, great Freedman and the illustrator of Old Penn Station (2007) and other award-winning picture books pair up for a dramatic account of the ill-fated first voyage, modern rediscovery, and restoration of a seventeenth-century vessel intended to be the mightiest warship the world had ever seen. The spare narrative begins with the felling of a thousand oak trees at the command of Swedish King Gustav II Adolf, and goes on to recount the top-heavy ship's construction, its disastrous 1628 launch, and the ensuing inconclusive inquest. Around a climactic double gatefold, it describes how the ship was raised from the mud of the Stockholm harbor in 1961 and transformed from a soggy wreck to a glittering historical monument that the author, with a fine (if perhaps debatable) closing rhetorical flourish, dubs a testament to peace. In Low's low-angle, slightly soft-focus illustrations, the ship looms massively, the ornate baroque ornamentation of its gilded hull and brass cannon shining with a sumptuous glow. A magnificent tribute to a magnificent folly.--Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This picture book retelling of the failed 1628 maiden voyage of the Swedish warship Vasa is another accessible, historical account by the late Freedman (Lincoln: A Photobiography). "Designed to terrify enemies and dazzle everyone who saw her, the Vasa was almost as long as a city block." A vivid narrative chronicles the elaborate wooden ship's construction; its extremely brief first-and last-sail in Stockholm's harbor (the Vasa traveled less than a mile before wind gusts toppled it); and the remarkable 20th-century salvage operation that raised it from the salty waters and preserved much of its hull. Full-color artwork by Low (Daytime Nighttime) depicts the action, especially the underwater recovery efforts. Light-infused scenes bathed in aquamarine hues, including a clever gatefold of the ship's remains being lifted toward the surface, are remarkably lifelike in perspective and scale, and realistic moments (glinting fish scales, the bulky folds of a diver's suit) complement the detailed storytelling. The author ends with the meaningful observation that this restored former weapon of war, cannons still unfired, sits in its home country, also the birthplace of Nobel Peace Prize creator Alfred Nobel. Ages 5-9. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-In August 1628, the Vasa, a massive, opulently decorated Swedish navy warship, was ready to launch. Commissioned by Sweden's king and having taken more than two years to build, she was loaded with weaponry and crafted to strike fear into all enemies. Anticipation over the inaugural sailing was high, with observers waving offshore and the ship's crew and their families on board. Shockingly, after traveling less than a mile, the Vasa was struck by wind, capsized, and sank, taking many lives. The ensuing investigation suggested poor design was to blame. Whatever the cause, no charges were ever brought. More than three centuries passed before the great hulk was raised from Stockholm's harbor in the late 1950s. Years of painstaking repair and restoration followed and today, the Vasa is proudly displayed in a museum. Freedman did impeccable research to recount this little-known event, and his clipped sentences convey appropriate drama and suspense. Low's wonderful digital paintings perfectly capture the historical settings and prodigious breadth and size of the ship. Underwater scenes depict exciting salvage efforts and include a breathtaking gatefold of the Vasa being lifted to the surface. There are a number of curriculum connections to be made with this text; for journalism and history units, elicit oral or written "you-were-there" interviews from the perspectives of the sinking ship's observers or survivors. Students can also compare and contrast the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic and the Vasa. VERDICT A richly crafted work of history for upper elementary schoolers.-Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Freedman (posthumously) tells the story of the Swedish warship Vasa, from its tragic sinking to its eventual recovery and restoration as a museum piece. Swedens King Gustav II Adolf commissioned the Vasa, intended to be the greatest warship of its day, in the early seventeenth century. Equipped with sixty-four bronze cannons and decorated with hundreds of painted and gilded sculptures and carvings, the top-heavy, armament-laden vessel sank less than a mile out of Stockholms harbor during its maiden voyage. A lengthy inquest targeted the captain, crew, and shipbuilder, but no one was punished for the disaster (especially not the king). In the mid-twentieth century, scientists rediscovered the wreck of the Vasa and successfully raised it from the water. Freedmans clear prose conveys facts and paints a picture with equal skill. The Vasa lay at the bottom of the harbor, her rigging a playground for fish, her sails waving lazily with the currents, her body littered with the skeletons of those who had perished. Atmospheric digital illustrations portray the doomed vessel as both a brightly colored flagship and a skeletal wreck. Lows most spectacular contribution is a four-page gatefold of the raising of the Vasa from the ocean floor. This winning combination of engrossing narrative and evocative illustration should appeal to fans of shipwreck stories, history, and undersea archaeology. A brief list of sources is appended. russell perry (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Who's to blame when everything goes wrong? In the early 1600s, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden ordered the construction of a mighty warship to be the flagship of his navy. After two years' construction, the mighty Vasa was ready to sail on the afternoon of Aug. 10, 1628. Less than a mile into its maiden voyage, the Vasa, along with her crew and their families, sank into Stockholm's harbor. After the calamity, Sweden began an investigation into why the ship so easily capsized. The results were inconclusive, although Freedman implies that the king's desire for a superfluity of cannons may have been the cause. Centuries later, in the mid-1950s, the Vasa was raised and restored. Now housed in the Stockholm Museum, the Vasa is a popular tourist attraction. Freedman provides a lot of information to his readers, but with its compression into the picture-book format, the pacing is rushed. The endingrelating a reclaimed cannon to Sweden's history of peacefeels tangential at best. Hopefully, curious readers will seek out the additional information about the Vasa, shipwrecks, and restoration provided in the bibliography. Low's digital illustrations are sumptuous and stunning, and they could pass for traditional paintings. It's unfortunate that the text does not live up to the artwork.Like the Vasa, this feels not quite seaworthy. (Informational picture book. 8-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
