I am proud to be American. Sure, I realize that not everything about our past, or even our present as a nation is perfect, but overall I love living here and raising my family here. I also feel that it is important for children, no matter where they live, to have a general understanding of the country they live in and the parts of it’s history that help define the culture and community of people who live there. Every nation has beauty in it and every story deserves to be told. Children who understand and love their countries can grow up to be productive and contributing citizens who care. I do believe that children are our future and they have so much potential for positive change in the world.
Below are some of our favorite books about America, Independence Day and Patriotism. They highlight some of my favorite symbols, stories and places of this nation as well as a book that has a beautiful definition of what it means to be American. These are perfect for around the Fourth of July or anytime of year and would also make great introductions to the United States. Each one is wonderful.
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“The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A with 50 Fact-Filled Maps” by Gabrielle Balkan and Sol Linero- This oversized atlas is beautiful and packed with fun information about all 50 states. You could send hours pouring over the maps and learning!
“What Does It Mean to Be American?” by Rana DiOrio and Elad Yoran- This beautiful book carries the important message about the characteristics that we strive to have and embrace as American citizens. It is a nonpartisan view and describes the type of Americans that I hope our family contributes to.
“The Children’s Book of America” by William J. Bennett and Michael Hague- This book is packed with stories from America’s founding and history. It includes everything form the nonfiction (like the story of Lewis and Clark) as well as popular folk tales and poems that are a part of our culture and “story” (such as Paul Bunyan).
“Words That Built a Nation: Voices of Democracy that Have Shaped America’s History” by Marilyn Miller, Ellen Scordato, Dan Tucker and Kate McDevitt- This nonfiction book is filled with documents that made and shaped our government and the laws ruling our land. It is a thick book packed with lots of information and is perfect for oder children.
“America The Beautiful” by Katherine Lee Bates and Wendell Minor- This beautifully illustrated book contains text that lyrics to the song “America the Beautiful”. Each illustration is a place or event of significance in the U.S.A and there is an index in the back to explain it.
“O, Say Can You See?: America’s Symbols, Landmarks, and Inspiring Words” by Sheila Keenan and Ann Boyajian- This book higlights a bunch of symbols and landmarks in America and shares background stories and little tidbits about them. It includes everything from Washington Monument to the story of Uncle Sam. There is also a handy glossary and index in the back.
“Washington D.C. from A-Z” -by Alan Schroeder and John O’Brien- This nonfiction book is a fun twist on an alphabet book as it shares 26 facts and bits of information all about the nation’s capital. It is actually quite lengthy for an alphabet book and offers a lot to learn.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” by Peter Spier- I just love this one! The text is the lyrics to our national anthem and the illustrations bring added meaning and understanding for children for the background story of the song as well as what it is referring too. There is also a nonfiction section in the back dedicated to telling the story of the anthem and it is really neat.
“How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A” by Marjorie Priceman- This delightful book tells the fictional story of a little girl who travels across America to gather what she needs to get the supplies to make the tools for cherry pie as well as ingredients. It has fun, random facts about states as she goes, has a map of her journey across the nation at the end, and is lots of fun.
“Her Right Foot” by Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris- This beautiful book tells the story of the Statue of liberty with a special little focus on the right foot of the statue that gives the illusion of the statue being “in motion”.
“Red, White, and Boom!” by Lee Wardlaw and Huy Voun Lee- This fun book shows three different types of Independence Day celebrations complete with the beach, a parade, and fireworks. The illustrations and simple text are so playful and a joy to read.
“The Story of the Statue of Liberty” by Betsy Maestro and Giulio Maestro- This book is fascinating! It tells the story of the statue of liberty with a focus on how it was built and the purpose it serves. A lovely tribute to a beloved symbol.
“Grace for President” by Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham- This fun book tells the story of a little girl who is inspired to run for class president at her school when she learns that our nation has yet to experience a female president. It is also a great introduction for teaching kids how the voting system works.
“50 Cities of the U.S.A: Explore America’s Cities with 50 Fact-Filled Maps” by Gabrielle Balkan and Sol Linero- This book is similar to the Atlas of the 50 States in the series, but instead it focuses on a major city from each of the fifty states. It gives me total wanderlust!
“Discover America from Sea to Shining Sea” by Julie Olson and Katharin Lee Bates- The text in this book is a part of the song “America The Beautiful” and shows a balloons journey from one coast of the USA to the other. The illustrations at each stopping point are lovely and there is even a map at the end that shows the whole journey.
“United Tastes of America” by Gabrielle Langholtz and Danielle Acken- This book is a real gem! It is a hefty book that features all 50 states in the Union with a short information page followed by a recipe for an iconic food form that State. Each recipe is rated based on difficulty to help you choose which ones to cook with young children and it is so interesting to peruse!
“Nelly Takes New York: A Little Girl’s Adventures in the Big Apple” by Allison Pataki and Marya Myers- This book is a fun, virtual tour of the city of New York through the eyes of a fictional character and her dog. It really captures the “spirit of the city” and hits so many major highlights of New York.
“Our Flag Was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner” by Jessie Hartland- This is the true story of the woman and her team that created the giant flag that inspired our national anthem. It is such a neat story and this book is such a fun way to teach it.
“My First Atlas of the 50 States” by Georgia Beth and Sara Lynn Cramb– This is another fantastic, large format atlas book of the United States. The page spreads dedicate space to each state and feature highlights of the state from natural resources to landmarks. I love the bold and bright colors too!
The United States in 100 Words (In a Nutshell) by Nancy Dickmann and Paul Boston- This oversized beauty features 100 words that relate to America with an explanation for why they were chosen. Don’t be deceived, there is actually a lot of history in here.
The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of Americas Presidents (Presidents Book for Kids; History of United States Presidents When They Were Young)by Kate Messner and Adam Rex- This book is phenomenal. It highlights each president of the United States in a way that features where upcoming presidents were at in their lives while select presidents were serving in office. It really gets you thinking where the next presidents of the future are now and what they are doing.
Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus and Kadir Nelson-This book is light on text, but big on impact. It features different parts of America that make it great (from civil rights to the lunar landing) and is heavy on American pride.
Pie Is for Sharing by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard and Jason Chin- This book features the Fourth of July from an iconic picnic complete with pie to fireworks at the end of the day. It’s wonderful.
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