America is...
Written by : Louise Borden
Illustrated by: Stacey Schuett
Borden, Louise, and Stacey Schuett. America is-- . New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2002.
ISBN: 0689839006
Summary:
America is… a look at everything we love as Americans. Ms. Borden uses the open ended idea to explore all that we find fascinating about
America. Schools are in every state and so are horizons and freedom. There are different ways to live in
America, large buildings or rural land, but all of these places are still
America. The author takes time to point out what “
America is” in every location making natural commections for the reader.
The reader will enjoy hearing about all the attributes
America gives us and why we should take time to remember that we are free.
The illustrations created by Stacey Schuett are quite beautiful and help depict the message of the words written by Ms. Borden. The story begins with a landscape of the
New York harbor with the Statue of Liberty looming in the back and ends with a picture of two children placing a
U.S. map on the wall.
An excerpt from
“America is…”
America is…A flag of stars and stripes.
Fifty stars for the fifty states we have now.
Thirteen stripes for the thirteen states
That begins with our nation.
Excerpt/Poem Introduction
This book and especially this poem is a great representation of citizenship for our primary and intermediate students. As a lesson the librarian or teacher can grab a large piece of chart paper and write the words “
America is…”. This sentiment should grab the students’ attention as they ponder what that means , what is
America to you? or what is
America? Then as the facilitator you can ask for an answer and jot down ideas. My guess would be you will get different responses from each grade level. This activity can become an instant bulletin board or word cloud. Students love to see their work in the hallway!
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