The Sinking Of The Titanic (Graphic Library: Graphic History)

Five stars! It can’t have been easy taking such a complex and tragic topic and writing about it for children, but Matt Doeden has pulled it off admirably in this brief graphic novel. The language is simple and clear, but never condescending. In telling the story, Doeden shows a remarkable instinct for knowing which elements to include and which to omit. There were a lot of complicated factors that led to the disaster, but Doeden presents a clear (and very accurate) narrative, and he does so in only 27 pages. I am especially in awe of this book’s professional nature—this is one of the most balanced, objective, and non-misleading children’s history books I’ve seen. Doeden also shies away from the unprovable and the debunked. For show more example, there is debate about the last song performed by the band; Doeden shows the band playing as the ship sinks, but he does not specify any particular tune. Decisions such as this helped keep the book grounded in fact. Dialog that is quoted exactly appears in yellow speech bubbles, so that readers know what’s true and what’s been reconstructed. The illustrations are evocative and highly emotional, but never gruesome. Magnificently done! show less

This graphic novel is aimed at upper elementary students and does on excellent job of introducing them to the tragic sinking of the Titanic. Colorful illustrations and succinct captions explain the details of the ship and its inevitable loss after hitting the iceberg. The book includes a glossary, bibliography, and websites for those inclined to learn more. Part of a series of historical events, this book will appeal to both boys and girls.

This Graphic History graphic novel series tells the story of the Titanic from when the voyage first begins to the devastating aftermath of the sinking. Hitting highlights such as the distress calls being ignored by other ships and the eventual saving from the Carpathia are included. The book spends more time on explanatory boxes describing events instead of telling the story through the eyes of characters on board, but for those elementary aged children interested in the Titanic this will be a good fit for them.

Historical event in graphic novel format, great for reluctant readers, easy text but accurate details.

This is an excellent book that retells the story of the Titanic. It has great facts about the Titanic in the end. This book is a great reference to the movie, you could let them do a report on the Titanic and read this book to them as a class.

On April 10, 1912 the Titanic, the largest ship ever built at the time, departs from Southampton, England for its voyage to New York City. The 2, 200 passengers aboard the Titanic were impressed with the ship. On the night of April 14, 1912 the Titanic hit an iceberg. The hit caused many holes to the lower deck of the ship. The Californian, a ship 10 miles away, dismissed the Titanic’s signal rockets as mere fireworks. The crew of the Titanic did everything they could and only 705 people survived.

The tragedy of the Titanic has always been an interesting subject. I really felt that the illustrations helped to tell the story and were really well done.

Extension Ideas
1. Explain what buoyancy is and what will happen to an object based on show more its weight.

2. Learn the oceans and which countries they surround. show less

Summary: This is the story of the famous “unsinkable” Titanic. It begins by telling about how big the ship was and how safe it was supposed to be. Then it tells about how it hit the iceberg and sank a few hours later.
Personal Reaction: I was very interested in reading about the Titanic. I had heard the story of course, but this story gave good details and was very informative.

Classroom Extension ideas:
1. I would have students do further research on the Titanic and search for more details. There are website references in the back of the book.
2. I would have students choose another historical disaster to research and report on.