There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.
~ Marcel Proust
~ Marcel Proust
Mighty Mac, The Bridge That Michigan Built will give readers of all ages a new appreciation for Michigan's "Miracle Bridge". In Mighty Mac you'll meet Prentiss Brown, the Senator who wouldn't let the dream die. You'll be inspired by David Steinman who imagined a "poem stretched across the stream", then designed it and built it. You'll learn about the challenges, and the workers and the special equipment that overcame them to build one of the world's longest and surely, most beautiful, suspension bridges. This is the book that celebrates the bridge that Michigan built. Available now at: Reader's World in Holland, Michigan, The Bookman in Grand Haven, Michigan, Your favorite Indie bookstore! Amazon.com, Peninsulam Publishing e-store |
Coming Soon! Whale Fall Cafe
Photo by Dr. Craig Smith/NOAA
My newest picture book Whale Fall Cafe will be released by Tilbury House Publishers later this year. Have you ever wondered what happened to a whale's body after it dies? No one knew for sure until 1987, when a serendipitous discovery opened the door for scientists to study the amazing ecosystem that develops on a whale's carcass. My book will introduce you to a host of interesting creatures (like hagfish, sleeper sharks, and zombie worms) that frequent the whale fall cafe.
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Writing Mighty Mac
Mighty Mac, The Bridge That Michigan Built began with a simple request. One of my library students asked for a book about the Mackinac Bridge. When I couldn't find any books about the bridge written for children I decided I would write one so that kids in Michigan and around the world could share in the "miracle" that became the Mackinac Bridge.
I used a lot of different materials in my research, including books, websites, newspaper articles, and in-person interviews. I was fortunate to be able to meet two members of the original Mackinac Bridge Authority: William Cochran, a board member, and Lawrence Rubin, the executive secretary for 32 years. Mighty Mac is illustrated using historic photographs taken by Herman Ellis during the construction of the bridge. A link to an online archive of those photos is below.
Learn More
If you would like to learn more about the Mackinac Bridge I recommend the following resources:
Mighty Mac, The Bridge That Michigan Built began with a simple request. One of my library students asked for a book about the Mackinac Bridge. When I couldn't find any books about the bridge written for children I decided I would write one so that kids in Michigan and around the world could share in the "miracle" that became the Mackinac Bridge.
I used a lot of different materials in my research, including books, websites, newspaper articles, and in-person interviews. I was fortunate to be able to meet two members of the original Mackinac Bridge Authority: William Cochran, a board member, and Lawrence Rubin, the executive secretary for 32 years. Mighty Mac is illustrated using historic photographs taken by Herman Ellis during the construction of the bridge. A link to an online archive of those photos is below.
Learn More
If you would like to learn more about the Mackinac Bridge I recommend the following resources:
- Miracle Bridge at Mackinac by David Steinman
- Mighty Mac, The Official Picture History of the Mackinac Bridge by Lawrence A. Rubin
- The Mackinac Bridge Authority website. This is the official website for the bridge. Here you'll find statistics and information about the bridge including historic photos, current photos, and dates for the annual Bridge Walk.
- The Upper Peninsula Regional Digitization Center website At this site you'll be able to view the historic photographs taken by Herman Ellis and his assistants documenting the construction of Mighty Mac.
- Click on tabs at the top of this page to see a slideshow of historic photos of the bridge and a video of Henry Zeman's historic photos taken during the construction of the Mackinac Bridge.
Mighty Mac, The Bridge That Michigan Built is published by Peninsulam Publishing.
Click here to learn more about Peninsulam Publishing.
Click here to learn more about Peninsulam Publishing.