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Young Reading - Celebrating American freedom to read
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Published: June 29, 2008
Blue skies, sunscreen, watermelon, fireworks, fireflies in Mason jars, barbecue, bathing suits drying alongside towels on the line ... it must be summer; it must be the Fourth of July, the time when we celebrate our freedom to read what we want in bliss, thanks to those who came before us and believed in all that makes the U.S.A. great.
NORMAN ROCKWELL: You're a Grand Old Flag. Lyrics by George M. Cohan. Art by Norman Rockwell. Simon & Schuster. All ages. $16.99.
With a foreword written by his grandson John Rockwell, this book introduces Norman Rockwell's classic American art to a new generation. Many of the works featured were once magazine covers, ranging from 1918 to 1967 and spanning Rockwell's vast career. All chronicle our nation's history through art. Rockwell had an uncanny talent of catching American life and conveying much more in a simple painting than most can or could with unlimited text. Readers of all ages and generations will appreciate this book.
UNCLE SAM'S AMERICA: A Parade Through Our Star-Spangled History. By David Hewitt. Simon & Schuster. Ages 7-10. $15.99.
With the premise of following American icon Uncle Sam through American history, the author and illustrator, husband and wife team of David and Kathryn Hewitt, have produced a historical winner. Uncle Sam is plopped in the middle of our nation's historical events from the Revolutionary War to the fight for civil rights. The pages are colorful and provide several snips of history. Uncle Sam's America presents a creative way to jumpstart youngsters into learning more about history. Read this book and then Google together to learn more about each event.
COLONIAL VOICES: Hear Them Speak. By Kay Winters. Penguin. Ages 9-14. $17.99.
Every classroom teacher who discusses Colonial days should have this book. Truly, it is one of the best I've seen. Each double-page spread features an illustration and then a poetic description of someone from Colonial times, told from a first-person perspective. The Mistress of the Dame School says that the kitchen is her schoolroom. The Midwife delivers babies, "tiny patriots," she calls them. The Printer lets everyone know about the injustice of England's repressive Stamp Act, while the Silversmith's Apprentice discusses how, because of his father's death, he has had to find someone else who will teach him a trade. My favorite? The Tavern Keeper, who ends her verse with "I check the chicken,/stir the soup,/taste the turnips,/prod the cook, clean the counter,/plan the menu./My husband taught me well./Cash is what I take for bed and board./Trust is not the innkeeper's friend."
Also read:
INDEPENDENT DAMES: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution. By Laurie Halse Anderson. Simon & Schuster. Ages 6-10. $16.99.
AMERICANA ADVENTURE. By Michael Garland. Penguin. Ages 6-10. $15.99.
Tommy's Fourth of July starts with finding a note from his Aunt Jeanne that sends him on quite a historical scavenger hunt. He must follow the clues to solve the riddle. Each clue takes him to a famous American landmark. A "Look Again Book," the book has more than 200 quotes, pictures, famous people and other things to find throughout the adventure. Tommy travels through time and geography before arriving at a grand Fourth of July celebration with Aunt Jeanne. Very clever and complete with fireworks (well, artistic ones, at least).
UNITED TWEETS OF AMERICA: 50 State Birds, Their Stories, Their Glories. By Hudson Talbott. Penguin. All ages. $17.99.
Growing up in Alabama, I always thought the state bird, a yellowhammer, had a funny name. I discovered in this book that these birds are also called northern flickers, but Alabamians "are not fond of the word northern." Instead, the state bird is named "after the Alabama soldiers in the Civil War who wore uniforms with yellow trim and 'hammered' the Yankees." Well, history turned out a little differently than the naming of the state bird predicted.
More than state birds are featured in this cleverly written and illustrated book. I also learned that North Carolina's state dog is the Plott hound and is still used for hunting. The origin of the Tarheel nickname is attributed to Gen. Robert E. Lee. "He said they stuck to battle like they had tar on their heels."
This is an interesting and humorous book to read for statewide trivia.
ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES. By David Rubel. Scholastic. All ages. 143 pages. $7.99.
The third printing of Scholastic's atlas will make summer travel much more enjoyable for the back-seat passengers. Each state has a topographical map with a brief write-up, pictures and facts. For example, "Did you know that Tennessee's only large natural lake, Reelfoot, formed when violent earthquakes in 1811 and 1812 created a depression into which water from the Mississippi River flowed?" The atlas is arranged by sections of the country. We had a great time perusing the atlas before my youngest daughter headed off to Alaska with her grandparents and the rest of us drove across the South to pick her up in Alabama.
Monica Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com.
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