Mount Rushmore

Children's Literature

Having visited Mount Rushmore several years ago, I was really interested in what Presnall had to say. Her book offers an excellent description of the people involved, especially the prickly but visionary sculptor Gutzon Borglum and the difficulties he faced in raising fund for the project. Creating these sculptures also took more effort and time than anyone had envisioned. The fact-filled text also contains many black-and-white photographs and insert boxes that provide excerpts from newspapers, speeches, books and peoples' observations about events and incidents during the development of the project. The latter often add a bit of humor. The monument has fulfilled the purposes envisioned¾it is a great and lasting tribute to America and several great Americans, and it is a tremendous revenue source for South Dakota. There is a timeline, notes and two bibliographies, as well as an index. Like other books in the "Building History" series, it begins with a historical sketch and then focuses on the details of the design and construction of the building or monument. All that is lacking is a glorious full-color picture of this magnificent sculpture, but perhaps readers will be inspired to head for the Black Hills to see it for themselves. Pair this with Lynn Curlee's Rushmore (Atheneum) to see his large interpretive paintings of the same story in a picture book format. 2000, Lucent Books, $23.70. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot