The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell

The bell rings forever where heroes are found, for the soul of the sailor is held in its sound.

Leaving port from Superior, Wisconsin on a sunny November day, the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald is looking forward to a routine crossing of deep Lake Superior. Heading for a port in Cleveland, the giant transport ship is loaded with ore that will be used to build cars. But disaster is building in the wind as a gale storm begins to track after the great ship. This suspenseful retelling of the last hours of the doomed vessel pays homage to all sailors who traverse deep waters, in fair skies and foul.

Atmospheric paintings from award-winning artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen bring the story to life. The author of the best-selling books The Legend of Sleeping Bear and The Legend of Mackinac Island, Kathy-jo Wargin aims to help young readers notice the most intricate details of a story by adding the nuances that create magic and wonder in a good tale.

Author: Kathy-Jo Wargin
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Published: 09/01/2003
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 11.20h x 9.10w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781585361267
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.5
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 74554 / Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell


Award: Michigan Notable Books - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/17/2003 pg. 64
Booklist 01/01/2004 pg. 852
Christian Home & School 01/01/2004 pg. 28
School Library Journal 02/01/2004 pg. 140
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2003 pg. 218 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2004 pg. 218 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw
Library Journal 02/15/2004

About the Author
Wargin, Kathy-Jo: -

Kathy-jo Wargin is the author of more than 45 books and has earned national acclaim through award-winning children's classics such as Michigan's official state book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, Children's Choice Award winner The Legend of the Loon, The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell, and many others. Kathy-jo enjoys writing about nature, folklore, and its effect on all our lives. She is a frequent guest speaker and presenter for associations, school districts, and conferences throughout the country. She lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Frankenhuyzen, Gijsbert Van: -

Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen was born in the Netherlands in 1951. With his seven brothers and sisters, he grew up exploring nature and his sketch pads were filled with observations from those family outings. Always drawing as a young boy, his father encouraged Gijsbert to make art his career. After high school, he attended and graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Arnhem, Holland.

Gijsbert, or "Mr. Nick" as many children affectionately call him during his school visits, immigrated to the United States in 1976 and worked as Art Director for the Michigan Natural Resources Magazine for 17 years. In 1995, he illustrated his first children's book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, finally fullfilling his dream of illustrating children's books.

Residing in Bath, Michigan, Nick and his family share their 40-acre farm with sheep, horses, dogs, cats, turkeys, rabbits, chickens, pigeons and a revolving door of orphaned and injured wild life. The family's nature journals logged 20 years of wild life rehabilitation on the farm and it is through these journals that the popular Hazel Ridge series was created. The farm, the land and the animals make great subjects for the artist to paint.

Mr. Nick travels to schools and conferences to share his passion for drawing--encouraging kids to make their hobby their career.