Twenty-One Elephants - Phil Bildner

This story is about a little girl named Hannah, who cannot wait to walk across the world’s first suspension bridge. She has watched the Brooklyn Bridge being built ever since she was a baby. When the bridge is finally finished, though, Hannah’s father is afraid to walk on it. Hannah tries to convince her father that the bridge is safe. They go to the official bridge opening where the president of the United States, and the bridge’s chief engineer cannot convince him. Then Hannah learns that the rest of her family, her classmates and teacher, and other members of her community also do not trust the safety of the new bridge. Finally, a trip to the circus inspires Hannah how to prove that the bridge is strong! And P.T. Barnum has a similar idea! A few days later, Hannah makes sure that her family, friends, and everyone in the community is at the bridge the morning that P.T. Barnum’s circus parade traverses the bridge, complete with twenty-one elephants, including the world’s largest elephant! Once everyone sees with their own eyes what the bridge can withstand, even Hannah’s father is happy to walk across with Hannah.