Daisy Corning Stone Spedden (1871–1950)
Author of Polar the Titanic Bear
About the Author
Image credit: The English Blog
Works by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Spedden, Margaretta Corning Stone
- Birthdate
- 1871-11-19
- Date of death
- 1950-02-10
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- children's book author
- Short biography
- Margaretta "Daisy" Corning Spedden, née Stone, also known as Mrs. Frederic Oakley Spedden, was born in Morristown, New Jersey. She lived with her husband and their son Douglas in Tuxedo Park, New York.
Daisy enjoyed photography and travel and kept detailed diaries of her trips abroad.
On April 15, 1912, the family survived the sinking of the Titanic. Daisy later wrote and illustrated a small storybook about their experiences from the point of view of a teddy bear and gave it to Douglas for Christmas. Some 45 years later, Leighton H. Coleman III, a distant relative, discovered Daisy's diaries, photo albums, and the storybook in an old trunk. Eventually, the book came to the attention of Madison Press Books, which published it in 1994 under the title Polar, the Titanic Bear. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Morristown, New Jersey, USA
- Places of residence
- Tuxedo Park, New York, USA
- Place of death
- Tuxedo Park, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Reviews
A history book told via the adventures of a stuffed bear whose 'Master' is a young boy from a very wealthy family. These people didn't think much about the lower classes, but apparently, according to the back matter, the disaster of the Titanic woke them up when they realized that so few people from steerage had been saved, and some progress has been made since.
I found the tale charming, the pictures lovely, and the photographs and other 'snapshots' of history enlightening. Best for ages 8 show more up, tbh, as it is long and some of the themes are complex/sophisticated. show less
I found the tale charming, the pictures lovely, and the photographs and other 'snapshots' of history enlightening. Best for ages 8 show more up, tbh, as it is long and some of the themes are complex/sophisticated. show less
#88, 2006
My son and I read this together this morning, and it is a simply gorgeous book. The story behind it is fascinating, too – it was written by a survivor of the “Titanic” disaster, a mother writing this story for her son from the viewpoint of the child’s stuffed toy (who also managed to survive the sinking). When put in that context, it is a really amazing and lovely story, and an interesting perspective in terms of survivor stories. The illustrations are also beautiful, and show more there are lots of old photos, too, which make this a great resource for a glimpse of what life was like at that time for this family of first class passengers. A lovely book, well worth reading. show less
My son and I read this together this morning, and it is a simply gorgeous book. The story behind it is fascinating, too – it was written by a survivor of the “Titanic” disaster, a mother writing this story for her son from the viewpoint of the child’s stuffed toy (who also managed to survive the sinking). When put in that context, it is a really amazing and lovely story, and an interesting perspective in terms of survivor stories. The illustrations are also beautiful, and show more there are lots of old photos, too, which make this a great resource for a glimpse of what life was like at that time for this family of first class passengers. A lovely book, well worth reading. show less
A story of a boy, his teddy bear, and their escape the Titanic's sinking, originally told to the boy by his mother shortly after their family's escape from that tragedy, features beautiful illustrations and a fascinating glimpse into the past.
Told through the perspective of a stuffed teddy bear, this book explores the life of the wealthy during the 1910s, culminating in an account of a family who survived the Titanic. It includes illustrations and real-life photographs that enhance the narrative. I could use this book for at least three purposes. First, it could be used as a study of a writer's perspective, as the voice of the narrator actually is Polar the teddy bear and not a real person. Secondly, I could use it to introduce show more the concept of nonfiction because the story is engaging and all true. I see my students enjoying this. Lastly, in American literature, this text could be used as a supplemental source to study American culture during a specific timeframe. This was an excellent book! show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 1
- Members
- 881
- Popularity
- #29,073
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 14
- ISBNs
- 14
- Languages
- 3