Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week I'm going to share with you a terrific book that's perfect for the upcoming Independence Day holiday!
Perfect for both dip-in reference and longer-form reading, Awesome America is organized into thematic sections, each comprised of bite-sized articles, engaging factoid sidebars, colorful charts, graphics and interactive quizzes to help make learning about American history interesting, interactive, and fun. From America's early history all the way to present day, kids will learn about what it was like to grow up in the 1700's, 1800's, 1900's and today and discover the inventions, innovations, and important social movements great American's have created over the years. -- Liberty Street
I don't know if you're a regular visitor to Booking Mama, but I have been featuring some fantastic kids' books lately if I do say so myself! Seriously though, I am so excited the share with you TIME FOR KIDS AWESOME AMERICA: EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY, PEOPLE, AND CULTURE by Katy Steinmetz. This book has been a huge hit in my house. In fact, my son grabbed this book immediately when it arrived and proceeded to read it over the next few days. And that's really saying something for a relatively reluctant reader.
I wholeheartedly agree with Booking Son and I think AWESOME AMERICA is the ideal book to commemorate our great country. This big book makes learning about America fun. It has gorgeous photographs, interesting and fun facts, and easy-to-follow timelines. I truly believe you can read it the whole way through... like my son, or skim through it and just read the highlights.
AWESOME AMERICA really does encompass America's history from the pre-Columbus time period all the way to the present. I don't think I can adequately explain just how much information exists between the covers of this 200+ page book. The book is divided into the following chapters: Our Beginning, Our Government, Our Presidents, Tour the Fifty States, The Land, Coming to America, Moments That Changed America, Civil Rights, Great Americans, Growing Up in America, America's Role in the World, America's Home-Grown Gifts to the World, One of a Kind, and Year by Year. There are also a glossary and index in the back of the book along with some websites where you can visit to learn more!
Most of the facts in AWESOME AMERICA are aimed at kids; however, I am not embarrassed to say that I learned a great deal while reading this book. As a mom, I appreciate that the information is presented in such a friendly manner that kids won't even realize they are learning. Some of the specific things that I liked about the book include summaries of all of the fifty states as well as the brief biographies on famous Americans. I also appreciated the section that showed what life was like for families in each century. I truly could go on and on though about each and every page in this book. There is more interesting information than I can even begin to cover in a brief review of the book.
What I love the most about this book though is the way the information is presented. Every page is different. Some have timelines, some have charts, some have sidebars, some have brief descriptions -- you get the idea. However, what each page has in common are beautiful photographs. As I flip through this book, I am blown away by just how entertaining it is. I just keep turning the pages... it's that addictive!
Overall, I can't rave enough about AWESOME AMERICA. It's an educational book that also makes learning fun. Highly recommended!
Thanks to Blue Slip Media for providing a review copy of this book.
If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!
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2 comments:
I loved this book, too, and will post about it next week! I think kids will pick it up and skim through it over and over again.
I'll be sharing this one next week. It certainly sounds like a great book about America. I can't wait to read it this week!
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