l colonization experience during America’s birth. She lost both of her parents during a Native American raid. She followed her husband, as was custom at the time, while he battled during the Revolutionary War. When he was killed, she kept his cannons firing. She lost an arm during the battle at Fort Washington. She was the first woman to receive a pension and the only veteran to be buried at West Point Military Academy. There are many more profiled, both current and past. Some of the well-known include Walter Payton, Janet Reno, John Steinbeck, Helen Keller, Marilyn Monroe and George S. Patton, Jr.
The script about each notable person is usually a half page long which makes for easier and more interesting reading for kids. There are pictures of each along with a brief caption underneath. I found this book engaging and found myself flipping through the pages to see who was in the book. Many times I stopped when I read about people I’d never heard of before. There is also a glossary as well as web site addresses to gain more information. The entries are in alphabetical order so children can more easily locate facts. This is one of those informational books that should be on every table in a room where families gather. I’d be willing to bet that children and adults alike would pick it up again and again!
I Am American, by Charles R. Smith Jr., is a picture book that’s ablaze with color and children’s faces. It won’t take you long to see what our great country is all about. The diversity of children’s pictures in this book speaks boldly and yet simply. There is a sequence of the same child with three different poses taken during the same moment such as a child sucking a sucker. The next frame has this same child sticking out his tongue showing the dark blue hue left from the sucker. And the final frame has the child sucking the sucker in the side of his mouth so that his cheek protrudes. The pictures are funny and even kind of goofy. But they can’t help but make you smile. The text is simple, yet powerful, in reflecting the nature of America. The three picture frames of a smiling girl, with missing teeth, wearing her cowboy hat at different angles reads: “I am country.” The adjacent page has a smiling boy with Afro hair and has the text: “I am soul.” The book reads with rhythm and each page is backed with a different vibrant color. What better way to celebrate our national heritage than to show off the wonderful diversity of our children – to our children. This book will be great for ages 3 to 8.