The Story of the Titanic

by Deborah Heiligman

It was just past midnight on April 14, 1912, when the Titanic hit an iceberg. Water began gushing into the ship, and soon it would sink. This simple account of that tragic voyage is addressed to the youngest child who may have questions about the Titanic . The story includes details of the experience aboard the ship, as well as the recent discovery of the wreck and its final resting-place.  

Genres: Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 1998

About the author

Deborah Heiligman has been writing for children since she worked at Scholastic News soon after college. Since then she has written more than thirty books for children and teens. Her books include picture books, both fiction and nonfiction, and young adult nonfiction and fiction. Some titles: Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, a National Book Award finalist; The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos, a Cook Prize Winner and Orbis Pictus honor; Intentions, a Sydney Taylor Award winner, and a picture book series about Tinka the dog. Her latest book is Vincent and Theo: The van Gogh Brothers. For more information please visit www.DeborahHeiligman.com

Reviews

[Deborah Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for young kids! I learned something new myself about the Titanic that it had a hospital with an operating room!

[Marilyn Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informational
1st-3rd grade reading level
I thought this book summed up the events of the Titanic really well. The paragraphs were short enough to keep the reader’s attention, and I thought the pictures added some emphasis to what the author was saying. I learned stuff through this book that I never knew about the Titanic before, so I’m sure this could teach students a lot as well.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe with all of my years of researching and studying Titanic that I actually learned new things from reading a little kids' picture book! While this picture book is geared towards young kids, you would actually have to be in upper elementary to likely fully read and understand this book since the author writes entire paragraphs on one page. I appreciated this and found that, as a result, actual adults can enjoy this book as well. I learned two interesting details: the Titanic had a hospital and Carpathia was originally headed for Fiume in Austria-Hungary. Additionally, I appreciated the watercolor illustrations and thought the painting of the night sky with the iceberg looming directly overhead was very hauntingly beautiful and had never seen a picture from that direct perspective. Therefore, I would recommend this book for adults as well as young readers to enjoy the paintings and overall summary of this historic ship.

[Cws]

XOS-J363.12