Galloping Gertrude: By Motorcar in 1908 - Hardcover

John J Loeper

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0972794018 ISBN 13: 9780972794015

Publisher: Hat Head Books, 2011

Synopsis

The year is 1908. Grandfather Hill buys a Pierce-Arrow Touring Car. He invites grandchildren Timothy and Beth to go on a thirty-mile drive and appoints Grandmother Hill as the navigator. New technology soon meets resistance since Automobile vs. Horse is the prevailing sentiment. With no real roads, signs, or gas stations, the trip becomes an adventure as the travelers encounter one mishap after another. Still, the journey might have gone a little smoother, if only Grandfather Hill had listened to his navigator! Includes color illustrations, photographs, automotive timeline from 1769 to 2011, glossary, index of names, websites to visit and a list for further reading.

About this title

About the Author:

JOHN J. LOEPER was born in Ashland, Pennsylvania. He has been a teacher, guidance counselor, and school administrator. In 1965, Mr. Loeper received the American Educator's Medal given by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. He has lectured in the United States and abroad and was a visiting professor at the University of Wuppertal in Germany. His writing has appeared in national magazines and journals, and he was the drama critic for a local newspaper. Mr. Loeper is an active member of several historical societies. He was a founding member of the Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Historical Commission and a leading force in the restoration of Graeme Park, a Pennsylvania historical site. Mr. Loeper has written extensively about American history and is the author of twenty-eight books published by Simon & Schuster and Marshall Cavendish. Excerpts from his books have been used in basal readers, social studies texts, and SATs. He is also an exhibiting artist and created the illustrations for his book, The House on Spruce Street. Now retired, he and his wife, Jane, reside in southwest Florida.

Review:

One thing all of us, old or young, find interesting are the artifacts left over from the past. That is one of many reasons to enjoy Galloping Gertrude, the young readers book about an old Pierce-Arrow car. This is a fine, lavishly illustrated account of a trip in the car when it was new, over the almost impossible roads in the Pennsylvania of 1908. The book shows in wonderful detail the challenge it was then to do what we take for granted now. The big question is whether the children and their grandparents will get there at all. Related timelines, word lists, and references to the history of automobiles make it possible for the novice to use this book as a good starting point for individual research in this topic. Galloping Gertrude is packed with useful and interesting information. --Roger Sherman, Editor, The Pierce-Arrow Society

Grandfather and Grandmother come alive in a delightful story while readers learn not only names and labels for automobile parts and processes, but also their purposes and how they re built and repaired. Great supporting material for those who want to know more. --Ann Parr, one of the first authors to write about Lowriders for a young audience (Chelsea House Publishers, Capstone Press)

Entertaining and accurate depiction of what it was like to journey by car in the early 1900s in America. --Tara Baukus Mello, 20-year veteran automotive journalist who retraced the route of Alice Ramsey (the first woman to drive across the United States in 1909) to educate children about cars, history, science, and math

About this edition

• Publisher: Hat Head Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0972794018
• ISBN 13: 9780972794015
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80
• Illustrator: Ron Chironna