Picture books are a great way to introduce topics in your classroom. They are also an excellent way to celebrate holidays. My students adore it when I bring new books into the classroom to share with them. Today I am going to share some of our favorite picture books for celebrating America.
The first book on the list is Our 50 States by Lynne Cheney. This book is perfect for learning about the states of our country. It follows a family going on a summer vacation and they are visiting all 50 states. The book shares interesting regional and historical facts about each state as the family travels through them. This book is ideal to read all at once or in small chunks as you study the different states.
The next book on the list is Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus. This book is written in verse and has beautiful, bright pictures. It shares different images of our nation that make our country so special. It starts with the imagery of the American flag and goes all the way to a spacecraft taking off in Cape Canaveral. The book is set up as two-page spreads and shares important landmarks on the pages. This book highlights ideas about our country that are new and old and go from sea to shining sea.
The next book on the list is My America, the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates. This book is wonderful for younger students. It is a board book, so it is great for little hands. This book uses the lyrics from the treasured song America the Beautiful and pairs it with delightful illustrations that are bright and colorful. There is a fuzzy, touch-and-feel path through the pages that helps children and grown ups alike remember the thread that ties us all together.
The next book on the list is We Came to America by Faith Ringgold. This book celebrates the diversity of the people who have come to this great country. The story features the determination and grit of the people who have come. It also celebrates their stories and their culture. This book teaches how ideas from the people before us have helped to forever shape the country that we all call home.
The last book on the list is Lady Liberty’s Holiday by Jen Arena. This is a really fun story about the Statue of Liberty getting tired of having to stand in one place for so long. She decides that it’s time to go and see the rest of the country that our people call home. She takes off and visits everywhere from the beaches of Cape Cod, all the way to the coast of California. Along the way she visits the wheat fields of Kansas, and the Grand Canyon. She has so much fun visiting all these places in America, but will she make it back to New York City to welcome in the Fourth Of July? This is a fun story that shares different places around our country, and shows it in a fun way with Lady Liberty doing the visiting.
There are so many wonderful picture books about America. Fourth of July is always a fun time to share these types of stories, but our students will enjoy them any time of the year. What are some of your favorite books about America? Let me know in the comments so I can share them with my stud
