America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney 

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America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney (illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser; Paula Wiseman Books, 2002) may be an alphabetic picture book, but it is definitely written for older children. It is a nonfiction book that highlights important historical concepts, events, and people. Each letter of the alphabet has a word assigned to it, and most pages also have a quote from someone in American history, a collection of related illustrations, and trivia items to explain further the concepts. For example, when F is for Flag, the illustrations and text in the margins give instructions on how to fold a flag!

The illustrations are done by Robin Preiss Glasser. I am familiar with her art style; she is the illustrator for the Fancy Nancy books, and I love how playful she draws the children. I really appreciate her style. In this book, so many people are introduced and covered in a book full of facts that it must have been quite difficult to capture it all. She does a fantastic job.

There is so much in this book that it should be revisited many times during the year, not just during the Independence Day season! This book may work better for children to independently read and pour over. It has so many facts and illustrations that using it for a read-aloud would be difficult. Don’t skip it though; it is fantastically done.

Reviewed on June 25, 2024

About the author 

Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid is a homeschooling, stay-at-home mother seeking to make the journey of life-long learning fun by reading lots of good books. Rebecca Reads provides reviews of children's literature she has enjoyed with her children; nonfiction that enhances understanding of educational philosophies, history and more; and classical literature that Rebecca enjoys reading.

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