Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing

Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing is an incredible story about the Brooklyn Bridge. Author April Jones Prince heard about the story and further researched the facts. Apparently, once the Brooklyn Bridge was completed many people had their doubts about the safety of the bridge, since in the past other bridges had collapsed. Entertainer P.T. Barnum decided that he would use those doubts as an opportunity to advertise for his circus. He took twenty-one elephants across the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn as people watched in amazement. The next day many of those doubters walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to go see Barnum's circus and his famous elephants.

For me, as a New Yorker, this story is so meaningful. For New Yorkers the Brooklyn Bridge is a sight that says home. Children will love reading a story about something so significant in their own state.

This book is not only great for social studies lessons about New York, but it could be used for math as well. Each elephant weighed about 10,000 pounds. There were twenty-one elephants on that bridge. How much weight was the bridge holding that day? This story can also lead to a research project about the Brooklyn Bridge, how bridges in general are built, or how it was typical to use elephants to test the safety of newly built bridges.