Once upon a time children worked. They worked hard and dangerous jobs from an early age. Lewis Hine went town to town across the country taking pictures of these working children to make the populace understand, that factories and mills were no place for children. They belonged in the parks and the playground. This book is based on true works, and many new laws were passed to keep children safe. But now a century later, our modem government are loosening the child labor laws. Hine would roll over in is grave and be back on the train with his camera if he knew.

I love picture book biographies!! They have enriched my life so much that it is hard to put that in words. Through them, I have learned of so many people I would otherwise have never known about and I am glad I now do. Lewis Hine is one such larger-than-life personality whose brilliance with words and photography helped in a large part towards the fight against child labor, and the creation of much needed labor laws.

Hinrich effortlessly combines her own straightforward and informative narrative with Hine’s lyrical words throughout, and the result is beautiful. Michael Garland’s realistic illustrations are evocative, simply stunning, and along with the narrative as well as a few photographs by Hine, help bring Hine and his message to the forefront. Hope shines through its pages despite the serious issue it brings to light.

Do not miss the excellent backmatter, which includes an author’s note to the reader with more information on Hine, a timeline, and list of sources/resources!

A must-read for everyone.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley for the digital review copy of the book. These are my honest opinions of the book.

This picture book tells the story of Lewis Hine who travelled to several factories and other places where children were working in a variety of awful conditions as part of an attempt to publicize this problem and create social change. The illustrations are very well done and some of Hine's photographs are also in the story. The text is poetic and uses some more challenging or dated words. The content is not graphic or inappropriate for younger children, but I think the concept of labour rights would be challenging for those under the grade 3 level or so. As a Grade 3 teacher, I could see using this book in my social studies classroom as part of rights. I could definitely see this book being used in Grades 4-6, and would have even considered using it as part of my Human Rights lessons in Grade 7 and 8 Social Studies. Additionally, I could see this book being used to introduce the genres of biographies and historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this fabulous book. I look forward to purchasing a copy for my classroom library!

The Traveling Camera documents one man's travels, and his documentation of child labor in early America. This books is a fabulous early history lesson for children, and perfect for any curriculum about life in the early Americas.

The illustrations in this book are dream like and perfect for the topic. They are well drawn, and take the reader back to a time when child labor was common, and the world needed it. It will amaze children, and this is perfect for the classroom setting.

Thank you to the author, illustrator, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the Getty Publications and NetGalley for the electronic review copy of this great book. This wonderful book combines poetic language and unbelievable visuals to tell a story about Lewis Hines and his fight for child labor laws. The author’s note at the end of the book provides even more information and photographs about the topic. I am looking forward to using this important book with my students.

The Traveling Camera is a picture book about photographer Lewis Hine, who was tasked with documenting child labor in America in the early 1900's. The publication of his images brought attention to the overabundance of child labor in the United States and forced changes. The story is told as a non-rhyming poem, followed by a timeline illustrated with photos from the day. The illustrations are soft and charming despite the heartbreaking subject matter. This would be an informative addition to any elementary serving library.

My Thoughts:
Using the words of photographer Lewis Hines (1874-1940), this picture book gives voice to the copious notes that Hines took over his long career documenting America through his photos. Hines influenced many policies around child labor law because he not only shared his hundreds of photos, but as an investigative photographer, he also takes detailed notes about each child he meets. In 1916-17, he travels more than fifty thousand miles, and from 1908-17, Lewis' pictures helped gain nationwide support for child labor reform.

For the teacher:

As a teacher educator, I am in the middle and secondary schools to observe at least 20 lessons every semester. For one of my social studies candidates, his lesson was to do a one lesson loo at the industrial revolution . It was a lot of information in 90 minutes, however, what his 9th graders keyed in on were the photographs of children working in factories (perhaps photographed by Lewis Hines). Giving this picture book to my student teacher would allow the learning to continue for those students that are already engaged in the subject so that they could learn more. The back material for this picture book, including more photos and source material is the perfect resource for an i-search project.

From the Publishers:
Stunning visuals and poetic text combine to tell the inspiring story of Lewis Hine (1874–1940), a teacher and photographer who employed his art as a tool for social reform. Working for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), Hine traveled the country, taking pictures of children as young as five toiling under dangerous conditions in cotton mills, seafood canneries, farms, and coal mines. He often wore disguises to sneak into factories, impersonating a machinery inspector or traveling salesman. He said, “If I could tell this story in words, I wouldn't need to lug a camera.” His poignant pictures attracted national attention and were instrumental in the passage of child labor laws. The Traveling Camera includes extensive back matter with timelines, original photographs, and a bibliography.

I was really intrigued by the description for this book and I have to say that the book really lived up to my expectations.

I liked the way that the story was told and the quotes that were added in to the story.

The images were stunning and they suited the book really well.

I loved the end when you could see the actual images that had been taken too and the factual details and historical timeline too.

It is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended

The traveling camera is one of the most unique picture books that I read. The book is written in the voice of Lewis Hine (1874-1940) who brought to light the plight of children who worked in America’s factories and were exposed to harsh working conditions.

Lewis Hine went to factories and took photographs of children. His photographs were crucial in changing the child labor laws in the United States. When he visited the glass-making factory or coal mines he measured the children’s height based on the buttons on his coat. He talks about children who are only two buttons tall, doing the most dangerous work to sustain their families.

The Traveling Camera is a good book to teach children about how things were in the past and compare with the present.

The Traveling Camera tells the story of Lewis Hine, an investigative reporter who worked to expose child labor and portray it honestly in order to raise awareness. The illustrations are appealing and have a sepia tone to them, making them seem like old photographs, as well as some more vivid colors mixed in to make it feel current. The text is written in prose, and is read vertically in columns. The amount of text to print was appealing; this would work well as a read-aloud or for an independent reader.

I also liked the author's inclusion of historical photos and documents, which added additional authenticity to the biography. The narrative and content will be appealing to children who are interested in the history of child labor and who may be surprised to learn that it is still ongoing in some parts of the world.

Just incredible! What an important story to share with kids and adults alike! So much of the history I learned wasn't the whole story and books like this help educate us all. More of these please!

The Traveling Camera is an interesting book about a person I never heard of before. This is a picture book for older children. The free-verse text tells a brief story about a man's work to end injustice, and the vivid, colorful paintings show clearly what was happening.
Lewis Hine traveled all over the United States, taking pictures of children working hard for long hours. He photographed children working in fields, making shoes, and working in cotton mills and coal mines. These children worked extremely hard in situations that were often dangerous. Their work was needed for their families to survive. They grew up in ignorance, often not knowing how to read or even to spell their own names. However, they were usually cheerful!
Several pages at the end of the book tell the story of Lewis Hine and his work. He was hired by the National Child Labor Comittee to take pictures of children at work, in hopes that if people actually saw what was happening they would be spurred to do something about it. Because of the way cameras worked in those days (1910s), he couldn't just take pictures secretly—he had to find ways to get around the foremen who controlled the children.
As history, The Traveling Camera is a well-done book. The illustrations finish the story that is begun by the sparse, poetic text. The indomitable human spirit shines through, even when children had to work harder than they should. I found Lewis Hine's determination fascinating, even if I don't agree with completely banning child labor.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: About halfway through the book, the word “darn” is used.

This review will be posted on www.learningresourcedirectory.com on October 20, 2021. I attempted to post on Amazon but was not allowed to.

The Traveling Camera by Alexandra Hinrich is a children’s book about Lewis Hine. The book is beautifully illustrated by Michael Garland. The pictures show the work Lewis Hine did to highlight the sheer numbers of children working in unsafe conditions. I liked how the words formed the narrative, some simple with a repeating melody that stayed in my head. The children pictured had names and ages which helps focus the reader to the youngness of the workers. He reminded us of how many people were struggling, but many owners of businesses hired young workers because they were cheaper. Lewis Hines body of work eventually helped new laws against child labor be started.

This book is a great addition to any library and could be a fine introduction to either child labor laws, or industrialization. The Traveling Camera by Alexandra Hinrich is a great children’s book.

This unique picture book will introduce young readers to child labor in the early twentieth century as seen through the lens of photographer Lewis Hine. The main text is written in verse, in the voice of Hine, explaining his work and telling about the children in his pictures. In the back matter, Hinrichs explains how she pulled parts of her first person text from Hine's own writings; she clearly differentiates what is fact and what is fiction. The book itself reads like a story, while the extensive historical notes provide context through well-researched information. I appreciated that Hinrichs also brings the narrative to the present in the section "Child Labor Today". Highly recommended.

What an amazing story coupled with the author writing in verse. It bring a lessor known issue for elementary students down to their level. The drawings as well as the photos are fantastically telling, which is the point of his story: photography to expose an issue. Very well done!

This book intrigued me from the beginning. The story of Lewis Hines is something I was not familiar with, so I learned a lot about his life and photography. The rhythm and cadence of the words play well with the beautiful illustrations. The bonus was the extensive information at the end of the book to continue learning about child labor laws and Lewis Hines. I will likely be digging to find more photographs by Lewis Hines. It is simply amazing what one man and a camera accomplished. I think this book should be picked up by everyone and could inspire young people to take up traveling, photography, or activism!

I. LOVE children's books. I love the illustrations and the way the eye is drawn to the words because of the pictures. As a hobbyist Photographer, I can appreciate when someone else wants to use their talents and skills to change the world around them. As a mother, I can appreciate the work that was done to change labor laws for children. As a history teacher, I am always on the lookout for books that can help my own students and children see from a different perspective how things used to be; seeing things through someone else's eyes often helps those who are intent on learning a different view.

This book is an historical retelling of Lewis Wickes Hine who travelled with his camera documenting the plight of child labor in the United States in the early 1900s. His photographs capture the spirit of the children as well as their working environments. In part because of his work, child labor laws were changed and children went back to school.

The illustrations in this book are bright and bring out the story perfectly. Mr. Hine's words are written in italics, which help to make the telling of the story flow evenly. I was drawn in by the history of the children who worked in ALL aspects of life. From the boy who shucked oysters, to the cranberry pickers, to those who worked in the cobbler's shop to the newsies and messengers. The idea that some children were required to work to help pay living expenses is today, appalling.

Pros: The illustrations are bright in contrast to the heaviness of the topic. The story is easy to read and historically accurate.

Cons: This is a heavy topic for children who see things differently today. Many children may not think that children were forced to work because their families didn't have enough.

Overall: I give this a 5 star rating. My eye was drawn to the expressions on the faces of the children when, at the end of the book, the author and illustrator chose to include the actual photographs as described throughout the book. I was amazed at the smiles that were on the children's faces, despite the hard work that they were required todo.

This book will be released in September, watch for it on bookshelves at Target and other booksellers in your area. Ask for it at your local library so that others can learn and read from history at the same time. Incorporate it with your own children when they start to complain about the amount of work you're asking them to do - they don't know how easy they really do have it.

Introductory biography about Lewis Hines told in first person narrative. Readers see Hines tell his own story as he traveled and took pictures to document what was happening in the early 1900's. The full book is told as a continuous poem that takes readers along as Hines took photos of working conditions for children in the United States starting in 1908. He was hired by the National Child Labor Committee to document what was happening. His photos helped move the nation toward child labor laws. Further informative text and a timeline of Hine's life and the labor movements are included at the end of the book. Examples of his photos are also included.

In 1908, Lewis Hine was hired by the National Child Labor Committee to take pictures of children at work. He traveled across the country and took pictures of young children working in cranberry bogs, oyster canning facilities, shoe factories, cotton mills, coal mines, glass blowing factories, hawking newspapers, shining shoes, and selling peanuts on street corners just to name a few. He used his art to shine a light on the number of young children being employed in America. They were often underpaid. They worked in unsafe conditions. They either could not attend school because they worked during the day or they worked at night and then fell asleep during their classes. Most people in America had no idea that there were millions of children working like this. Lewis thought that if they could SEE it - then they would know about it and try to do something to stop it. Hine strove to not only show what was happening to the children but also to record their grit and determination and spirit.
Taking the pictures was not always easy - he often had to lie in order to get access to the children. I was fascinated that he arranged the buttons on his coat by the approximate height of children at certain ages. That way he could say that Billy was two buttons high and guess his age - because many of the children had no idea how old they were. The illustrations are based on Hine's photographs but his actual photos are also included at the back of the book. Historical and biographical notes are also included plus a mention of child labor conditions today. Hine said, "A picture tells a big story in a small space, can shine light in a shadowed place." That is certainly demonstrated in this wonderful book!
This book could spark lots of discussion in a classroom or book club. For example - How could young readers use their art to bring about social change? Is it OK to lie in order to reveal an injustice? What can we do today to help end unfair child labor around the world? This is a very inspiring and informative book!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to look at a digital ARC!

Clear, concise, compelling text, combined with beautiful illustrations. This is a fabulous non-fiction picture book that shines a light, not only on a noteworthy historical figure, but also on critically important topic that is still sadly relevant. Thoughtfully done. Highly recommended.