American Moments: Scenes from American History [Hardcover]

Robert Burleigh (Author), Bruce Strachan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

This is America, much is possible.

Step right into the "moment" of some of American history's most significant events

In this refreshingly inventive picture book, readers are placed directly into the action of eighteen monumental events in American history. From the first Thanksgiving and Susan B. Anthony's courageous courtroom hearing to the Wright brothers' original takeoff and Rosa Parks's inspiring actions, each moment captures the heart and soul of our nation-the triumphs as well as the trials we've endured.

Robert Burleigh's talent for bringing history to life through narrative storytelling and Bruce Strachan's unique three-dimensional pictures make this an unusually engaging scrapbook of our country's achievements.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5–This unique scrapbook of American life from 1621 to 2001 has the feel of a well-captioned photo album. Each of the 18 chapters pairs a page of text with a full-page "snapshot." Strachan's almost three-dimensional depictions are real audience grabbers. Rendered in mixed media of clay, wood, and oil paint and photographed, they clarify the text wonderfully. Some of the images are truly inspired, such as a hopeful Harriet Tubman pointing to a guiding star, a determined Susan B. Anthony demanding her rights, and a group of Americans gathered at Ground Zero in October 2001. Burleigh uses thoughts and feelings to re-create what the people involved might have been experiencing, giving each moment a you-are-there quality. While crossing the Delaware, George Washington thinks, "Will tonight be different?" Crazy Horse maintains before going into battle, "Yes, today is a good day to fight! A good day to die!" This fictionalizing does not diminish the book's value. Expected events are included here: Abraham Lincoln relaxes at Ford's Theatre moments before being shot, and Rosa Parks takes her seat to start the Montgomery bus boycott. More unexpected occurrences include Houdini making a second daring escape from a straightjacket and Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong performing together. Endnotes further explain each scenario. While not in-depth enough for reports, this intriguing offering will inspire students to learn more.–Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. This unusual book pairs brief texts with intriguing mixed-media scenes to introduce children to 18 key events in American history. As Burleigh wisely acknowledges in a foreword, "any observer could easily select other events equally important to America of yesterday and today," but it's still hard not to wonder why Lincoln's assassination receives an entry but JFK's and Martin Luther King Jr.'s don't, and why Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong's first joint recording makes the cut. This scattershot approach, along with the absence of further readings and endnotes too brief to add much context limit this book's usefulness for children who encounter it on their own. Teachers, though, will find Burleigh's vibrant, present-tense narratives well suited for reading aloud, perhaps as introductions to specific social studies topics, and Strachan's arresting tableaux, sculpted in clay and arranged against painted backdrops, will certainly entice children. Keep meatier resources on hand to answer the questions this thin-on-detail volume doesn't address. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805070826
• ISBN-13: 978-0805070828
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,840,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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