The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story

by Darcy Pattison, Peter Willis (Illustrator)

Overview

JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

2018 National Council of Teacher's of English (NCTE) Notable Children's Book in Language Arts

A NON-POLITICAL FAKE NEWS STORY FOR KIDS: EXAMPLE OF 1ST AMENDMENT FREE PRESS ISSUES

Do you believe everything you read in the newspaper?

Early in August 1937, a news flash came: a sea monster had been spotted lurking off the shore of Nantucket Island. Historically, the Massachusetts island had served as port for whaling ships. Eyewitnesses swore this wasn't a whale, but some new, fearsome creature. As eyewitness account piled up, newspaper stories of the sea monster spread quickly. Across the nation, people shivered in fear.

Then, footprints were found on a Nantucket beach. Photographs were sent to prominent biologists for their opinion. Discussion swirled about raising a hunting party.

On August 18, news spread across the island: the sea monster had been captured. Islanders ran to the beach and couldn't believe their eyes.

This nonfiction picture book is a perfect tool to discuss non-political fake news stories. Tony Sarg, famous as the inventor of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, Macy's officials and newsmen cooperated in a huge publicity stunt. The fake news generated was valued at thousands of dollars of free publicity.

Back matter discusses the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Quotes from Thomas Jefferson make it clear that fake news has always been one of the costs of a free press. A Timeline lists actual events in the order they occurred. A vocabulary list defines relevant words.

Read this incredible true story of how Tony Sarg and the press knowingly fooled everyone with fake news.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629440828
Publisher:	Mims House
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	1,032,016
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

AUTHOR - DARCY PATTISON Children's book author Darcy Pattison finds inspiration in writing about science, nature and history; twice her books have been honored as NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books. Her nature picture books include Abayomi, the Brazilian Puma: The True Story of an Orphaned Cub (Mims House), an NSTA 2015 Outstanding Science Trade Book; Wisdom, the Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and Other Disasters for Over 60 Years (Mims House), a starred review in Publisher's Weekly; Desert Baths (Arbordale), an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book 2013; and, Prairie Storms (Arbordale). Burn: Michael Faraday's Candle (Mims House, Spring 2016) is a physical science book about how a candle burns, based on Michael Faraday's famous 1848 juvenile Christmas lecture. Other picture books include The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt), which received an Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature Honor Book award, starred reviews in BCCB and Kirkus, and has been published in a Houghton Mifflin textbook; Searching for Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt); 19 Girls and Me (Philomel); and 11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph: A Military Family Story (Mims House). Her series, The ALIEN, INC. CHAPTER BOOK SERIES includes Kell, the Alien; Kell and the Horse Apple Parade; Kell and the Giants; and Kell and the Detectives. She is also the author of middle grade novels and teaches nationally a Novel Revision Retreat. For more, see darcypattison.com/about

With over 20 years experience in illustration and design, illustrator Peter Willis continues to be as enthusiastic and passionate about his work as ever. His illustrations have palpable character, bringing them to life through his craft and quirky approach. He lives in North East England with his wife and daughter. Previous books include BURN: MICHAEL FARADAY'S CANDLE.

Editorial Reviews

Junior Library Guild Selection

From the Publisher

10/01/2017
Gr 2–4—The creators of Burn: Michael Faraday's Candle are back with an exploration of a 1937 hoax in Nantucket involving a sea monster—shaped Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. The hoax was orchestrated by Tony Sarg, famed creator of the parade balloons, along with the Nantucket Publicity Committee and various media outlets. The text includes quotes taken from newspaper articles from Nantucket's The Mirror and Inquirer. Pattison's narrative zips along with brief descriptions of the reported sightings. The content is age-appropriate and does not assume a prior knowledge of how news is reported, but some of the vocabulary includes terms such as credibility. Willis's colorful renderings use a variety of media and help to draw readers into the story. There are several different fonts and font sizes used but all are large enough to be easily read by the audience. Illustrations generally cover both pages of a spread, leaving very little white space; however, the backgrounds are generally light. In cases where the background is darker, the text is white. Back matter includes a brief discussion of the role of a free press. VERDICT This title discusses the issue of fake news in an age-appropriate way while avoiding politics; most useful in a classroom setting, perhaps in conjunction with Melissa Sweet's Balloons Over Broadway.—Judy Poyer, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

School Library Journal

2018-05-17
This nonfiction picture book chronicles the events surrounding a fake 1930s news story about a sea monster on Nantucket Island.In 1937, Nantucket's Inquirer and Mirror newspaper printed an interview with a man who said he saw a strange ocean creature. More eyewitnesses came forward; gigantic footprints appeared in the sand, and people contacted scientists. A rumor flew that the creature was caught, which turned out to be untrue. Around the country, frightened people read about the Nantucket Sea Monster before the truth was revealed: The "monster" was a 135-foot balloon created for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everything from the eyewitness statements to the footprints was part of a publicity stunt orchestrated by puppeteer Tony Sarg, and the Inquirer and Mirror admitted to collaboration. Pattison (Road Whiz, 2018, etc.) sticks to the facts, with exact dates of events and dialogue taken directly from actual newspaper articles. However, the wry, playful delivery ("The story was gaining credibility. After all, the newspaper printed the stories, so it had to be true") keeps things entertaining, brilliantly inviting discussion about hoaxes while remaining kid-appropriate. Back matter includes a glossary and a history of freedom of the press and fake news. Willis' (Clang!, 2018, etc.) paint-and-mixed-media collage pieces complement the story wonderfully.A thought-provoking story with timely resonance.

Kirkus Reviews