Her Right Foot

by Dave Eggers

AR Test, Picture Book

At A Glance

Interest Level

5+

Entertainment
Score

Reading Level
4.7

Number of Pages
105

If you had to name a statue, any statue, odds are good you’d mention the Statue of Liberty.

Have you seen her? She’s in New York. She’s holding a torch. And she’s in mid-stride, moving forward. But why?

In this fascinating and fun take on nonfiction for kids, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris investigate a seemingly small trait of America’s most emblematic statue. What they find is more than history, more than art. What they find in the Statue of Liberty’s right foot, is a powerful message of acceptance that is essential to an entire country’s creation.

Her Right Foot is filled with facts about the Statue of Liberty, beginning with why she was made, who made her, what supplies were used, and how she was constructed. As the building process is explained, illustrations show the statue’s scope and scale by including humans in the pictures. For example, one picture shows two exhausted workers sleeping on the statue’s crown. The story educates readers about everything—how many rivets were used, why the statue is green, what every part of the statue represents, etc.

Although Her Right Foot is written in picture book format, the concepts and vocabulary are suited to older readers who have some type of understanding of the Statue of Liberty. Each page has zero to four complex sentences with advanced vocabulary. The illustrations use bold primary colors and blocky illustrations. The book includes illustrations of diverse people, which reinforces the idea that Americans come from all over the world. While most of the book focuses on the statue, one illustration shows a refugee camp where people are suffering from “oppression.”

While all of the facts are interesting, the focus on the statue’s right foot gives the story heart. Eggers points out that the Statue of Liberty is “going somewhere! She is on the move.” Her foot is mid-stride because “Liberty and freedom from oppression are not things you get or grant by standing around like some kind of statue. No! These are things that require action. Courage. An unwillingness to rest.”

When it comes to immigrants, the statue reminds readers about the importance of being like her. “This statue has welcomed millions of visitors and immigrants to the USA. After all, the Statue of Liberty is an immigrant, too. And this is why she’s moving. This is why she’s striding. In welcoming the poor, the tired, the struggling to breathe free. She is not content to wait.” Her Right Foot leaves no doubt about American’s duty to welcome immigrants from all over the world.

Her Right Foot will appeal to older readers interested in learning more about the Statue of Liberty. However, if you’re looking for a picture book that will appeal more to young children as well as teach about the importance of inclusion, All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold would be a better choice. Readers looking to reinforce concepts found in Her Right Foot, including the difficulties that immigrants face, should also add A Thousand White Butterflies by Jessica Betancourt-Perez & Karen Lynn Williams and Mango Moon by Diane De Anda & Sue Cornelison to their reading list.