Your kids complain about their chores. Every morning, they have to make their beds and straighten up. They help wash the dishes, clean the house, and pitch in with yard work.
They think they’ve got it rough. But as they’ll see in the new book, “Surviving the Hindenburg” by Larry Verstraete, their chores are nothing. At least they don’t put them in the path of danger.
The book tells the story of 14-year-old Werner Franz, who, in 1937, was the youngest crew member on the German airship the Hindenburg, one of the most famous airships in history. Through Werner’s memories, readers will learn the inner workings of the airship and the tragedy that unfolded during the zeppelin’s final voyage.
Werner was very excited to be a cabin boy on the Hindenburg, which, at 13 stories high and more than 800 feet long, was like a big, floating hotel surrounded by fabric cells filled with highly flammable hydrogen. As the youngest crew member, Werner loved working on this great big ship in the sky, and he was finally going to see America!
As a cabin boy, his many duties included making the beds, setting the tables, washing dishes, and cleaning uniforms. Every day, when he was done with his work, he would visit the mechanics who manned the engines or the riggers who worked at the top of the airship. It was a bit of a balancing act to make his way around the airship; the Hindenburg was lined with narrow wooden paths that connected the stern to the bow. One of the paths led to a small window that gave Werner a bird’s-eye view of the Atlantic Ocean, and, on May 6, 1937, an up-high look at New York City as the Hindenburg tried to dock in New Jersey.
It was stormy that day, but people crowded the beaches of New Jersey to watch the mighty Hindenburg’s landing. Werner wished he could watch it, too, but he had dishes to wash.
And then, there was a thump. Dishes scattered and broke, and Werner ran to a wooden pathway as he discovered that the Hindenburg was on fire!
Based on Werner’s own account and other research about this tragic event for which the anniversary looms, “Surviving the Hindenburg” is an interesting tale enhanced by historical information in the front and back pages, which gives young readers an idea of the magnitude of this disaster. In telling this story, Verstraete gives kids someone to identify with: a boy like them who is witness to an event that shocked Americans, and the Germans who made the zeppelin.
What really makes this book are the illustrations by David Geister. With a palette that evokes many emotions in a few pages, Geister’s artwork truly sets the tone.
While it’s generally the size and shape of a preschooler’s picture book, I think “Surviving the Hindenburg” is better suited for children ages 7 to 12. If you’ve got a budding historian in the house, enjoying this book won’t be a chore.
“Surviving the Hindenburg” by Larry Verstraete [32 pages, Sleeping Bear Press, 2012, $16.95] is recommended for children ages 7 to 12.
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
