Mr. Ferris and His Wheel
Written by Kathryn Gibbs Davis, Illustrated by Gilbert Ford
Summary:
Capturing an engineer’s creative vision and mind for detail, this fully illustrated picture book biography sheds light on how the American inventor George Ferris defied gravity and seemingly impossible odds to invent the world’s most iconic amusement park attraction, the Ferris Wheel.
Primary Source Pairing:
The image advertising the Chicago World’s Fair was first published in the San Saba County newspaper on May 12, 1893. Over 123 years ago, readers of this newspaper saw the advertisement for the big event in Chicago. For more information for the “Topics in Chronicling America – Chicago World’s Fair (The World’s Columbian Exposition), 1893 collection,” visit the Library of Congress website.
Questions for Discussion:
- Describe what you see.
- What do you notice first?
- What text do you notice first?
- Who do you think was the audience for this publication?
- How would this be different if produced today?
- How would this be the same?
Credits:
Book Cover and Summary: Follett
World’s Fair newspaper advertisement: “Topics in Chronicling America – Chicago World’s Fair (The World’s Columbian Exposition), 1893 collection,” on the Library of Congress website.
Additional resources about the historical Ferris Wheel are located in the back of the book, including these two websites:
Primary Source Pairings 