Children of the Titanic. Christine Welldon. Halifax, NS: Nimbus, 2012. 92 pp., trade pbk., 14.95. ISBN 978-1-55109-892-0. Subject Headings: Titanic (Steamship)-Juvenile literature. Shipwrecks-North Atlantic Ocean-Juvenile literature. Grades 4-8 / Ages 9-13. Review by Heidi Henkenhaf. *** /4

excerpt:

Lottie couldn’t believe that anything could go wrong on this ship. It was as big as a city, and she felt very safe walking along the deck or sitting in the library. Even so, whenever she saw her mother’s fear, she felt a tiny worry.

A renewed interest in the RMS Titanic seemed to explode with the release of the epic Hollywood movie in 1997 and continued to be fuelled by the 100th anniversary of the ship’s tragic voyage. Children of the Titanic, by Christine Welldon, is a complement to the many books already available to young readers about the RMS Titanic.

     In Children of the Titanic, Welldon offers the readers a unique perspective of the first transatlantic voyage of the great unsinkable ship by utilizing the points of view of three children passengers: Beth Cook, age six, was travelling on the Titanic with her aunt in third class; Charlotte Murphy, age eight, was travelling with her family in second class, and John Crosby, age 11, was travelling with his father in first class. The author is able to use the children’s travel status to give an overview of life on board the Titanic before its encounter with the iceberg. She describes the grandeur of the ship, its swimming pools, gymnasium, dining rooms and cabins as well as the lifestyles of the passengers, the games they played, songs they sang, music they listened to and their menu choices. The second half of the book is dedicated to the night that the Titanic collided with an iceberg and the evacuation events that followed. This retelling of that night answers many of the, who, what, where and why questions that young readers may have about the sinking of the Titanic.

     Children of the Titanic is an interesting story about the voyage of the RMS Titanic told from the children’s perspective. The book has many visual aids, including photos, newspaper clippings and explanatory sidebars which help readers get a feel for the history of the ship and the historical significance of the Titanic event.

Recommended.

Heidi Henkenhaf is an auxiliary reference librarian and children’s librarian at the Vancouver Public Library in Vancouver, BC.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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