America the Beautiful
Author: Katharine Lee Bates
Illustrator: Chris Gall
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (Pbk.)
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 9
Chris Gall, the illustrator of America the Beautiful, by Katharine Lee Bates, has created a stunning compilation of pictures that exemplify America’s past, present, and future.
Awards: Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year
Home: A Journey Through America
Author: Thomas Locker and Candace Christiansen (Eds.)
Illustrator: Thomas Locker
Publisher: Voyager Books, Harcourt, Inc. (Pbk.)
Recommended Age Range: 7 to 10
Poems and writings, from 1783 to 1946, that celebrate what makes a place a home. Illustrations provide a stunning reminder of this country’s beauty.
Awards: A CBC “Not Just for Children Anymore!” Book
I Pledge Allegiance
Author: Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Publisher: Candlewick Press (Pbk.)
Recommended Age Range: 6 to 9
Website
Since 1892, children have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, but what does it all mean? In this wonderful book, every few words are described – and illustrated – in ways that all children can understand and appreciate.
Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Books; Book Links Editor’s Best of 2002; Chicago Public Library Best Books for Children and Teens; A Children’s Literature Choice List Title
One Proud Penny
Author: Randy Siegel
Illustrator: Serge Bloch
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Website
Awards: Scholastic “Sensational Spring Reads;” Amazon “Best Books of the Month: Nonfiction for Kids;” A Junior Library Guild Selection for 2017
One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote
Author: Bonnie Worth
Illustrator: Aristides Raiz and Joe Mathieu
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 8
Purple Mountain Majesties: The Story of Katharine Lee Bates and “America the Beautiful”
Author: Barbara Younger
Illustrator: Stacey Schuett
Publisher: Puffin Books (Pbk.)
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 9
Awards: A Junior Library Guild Selection; Scholastic Book Club Selection
The Scrambled States of America
Author: Laurie Keller
Illustrator: Laurie Keller
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Website
What happens when states get bored? Well, they throw a party and change places on the map. When confusion and chaos ensue, the states realize – there’s no place like home. Very funny!
Awards: Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award; CCBC Choice (University of Wisconsin); IRA Young Adult Choices; Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award; Parents’ Choice Award Winner; IRA- CBC Children’s Choices; Pennsylvania YR Choice Award; A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year; An American Bookseller “Pick of the Lists;” A Bank Street College of Education Best Book for Children
The Star-Spangled Banner
Author: Peter Spier
Illustrator: Peter Spier
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 9
Awards: A Bank Street Book of the Year; An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
We the People: The Constitution of the United States of America
Author: Peter Spier
Illustrator: Peter Spier
Publisher: Doubleday, A Book for Young Readers (Pbk.)
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 9
Awards: 1987 Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies