This book is about a boy named Homan who loved to fly kites. One day when he was flying his kite by Niagara Falls, he found a flyer for a kite-flying contest that offered a prize to whoever could fly a kite across the gap from America to Canada. He worked hard to build his kite and stood through the cold while flying it, but he felt the cord to his kite snap. Unfortunately, the ferry was no longer running so Homan had to stay with people in Elgin for eight days. When he came home, he worked to fix his kite and try again. Homan's kite string was the first line to begin the bridge across Niagara Falls. This book was a sweet story about perseverance, but it was not my favorite book. ( )

“The Kite That Bridged Two Nations” is about a young boy in Canada who absolutely loved building and flying kites. One day, the boy saw a flyer advertising a monetary award for the first boy who could fly his kite and get the string to cross the Niagara from Canada to the United States of America. The boy built a kite that he named the Union and tried to fly it all the way across the river to the American side; unfortunately, he lost the kite. Instead of giving up, the boy’s father found his kite and the boy repaired it to try again. This time, he was successful in getting the kite string across the river to America. Then, the first Niagara Suspension Bridge was built to bridge the two countries together.
I think this is a great book to introduce the Niagara Suspension Bridge because it is relatable for students. I have been to Niagara Falls, and the illustrations were beautiful; the pictures made me feel like I was right back in Canada looking at the waterfalls. I also really liked the perseverance of the young boy, and I think it is a great message to send to students. ( )

Around the time of the Industrial Revolution a young boy loved to study and calculate physics using kites. One day the boy read "Kite Flying Contest, To the first boy whose kite strings spans from America to Canada." He obviously got straight to work to build his best kite yet, The Union. His first attempt did not succeed and he lost Union. He waited eight days to find Union until one night his father came home with his broken kite which needed to be repaired. When he let his kite go the second attempt it made it to the American side where he was named in history forever. Homan Walsh joined the two countries with the First Niagara Suspension Bridge. The theme of the story is to not give up on a dream no matter what obstacles may get in your way. Some of the words in the text were italicized or in another color to give empathize. The letter that he received about the contest was in red ink and a slightly different font while the rest of the book is in black. Another example is when he makes his kite for the first time he states, "My Kite. My Pride. I called her Union." He is emphasizing how important his kite is to him and the two countries. ( )

A great story, wonderfully illustrated. ( )