A Is For Arches: A Utah Alphabet (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) [Hardcover]

Becky Hall (Author), Katherine Larson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series

"We'll start with Utah's arches,
made from wind, frost, and rain.
Nature's rocky sculptures-
an art that can't remain."

From H is for Handcarts to Z is for Zion National Park, "A is for Arches" presents the history, landscape, and people of the great state of Utah.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"(Hall) takes readers on the journey with her as she writes about one unique aspect of Utah for every letter." -- The Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT), September 21, 2003

"(T)here are facts aplenty. Pay attention as you read...." -- The Salt Lake Tribune, August 31, 2003

"Older children can use the book for a reference...while younger children will enjoy the rhymes and colorful pictures." -- The Daily Herald (Provo, UT), September 8, 2003

"Utah gets a lesson in the ABCs. A is for Arches breaks down state from A to Z." -- The Daily Spectrum (St. George, UT), September 22, 2003

About the Author

Becky Hall is an elementary school teacher who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and two children. She is an active member of her local library/media association and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She loves children's bookstores and regularly attends writing workshops. In her free time, Becky hikes in the mountains of Utah with her dogs.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press; 1 edition (August 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585360961
• ISBN-13: 978-1585360963
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Becky Hall grew up in Grafton, Massachusetts. After getting married, she moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where she has been a teacher for many years. Now she is a school librarian and writes books for kids. She published A is for Arches which was a finalist for the Beehive Book Awards. Her next book was Morris and Buddy, the Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog. She has a third book under contract and has recently completed a young adult novel. Several more novels are in process. Check back for more books from Becky in the future!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Mormon references, April 5, 2008

By 

Puddle (Woodcock Pocket, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Is For Arches: A Utah Alphabet (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) (Hardcover)

This book was a great one about Utah. It did have several references to the Mormon Church that I was unaware of before I purchased it.

4.0 out of 5 stars A is for Arches, June 14, 2011

By 

Tammy (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Is For Arches: A Utah Alphabet (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) (Hardcover)

I think this book is for older children (my 4-year-old hated it and didn't want to go past letter D but my 8-year-old thought it was okay). We live in Utah so I thought it would help my 8-year-old learn a little more about his state. And it did, but he wasn't thrilled with most of it.

Each page has a little rhyme to go with the letter but it also has a sidebar that gives more information about the topic for that letter. For example, letter B is for bees and it says,
"Busy Bees, that what we are--
Our symbol is the hive.
From mining to technology,
this helps our state survive."

Then the sidebar says, "The state insect is the honeybee. On the flag, bees buzz around a yellow hive. An early name for the state was "Deseret," which meant honeybee. Utah's nickname is the "Beehive State." The state motto is "industry" which means hard work. In 1847 Mormon pioneer settled in Salt Lake City in an attempt to find religious freedom. They had to be resourceful and industrious in order to survive in the harsh desert. They grew their own food, produced as much as they could for themselves, and mined the nearby hills. They tried to be self-sufficient and at one point, they even wanted to be a separate country. Found on the state seal and the flag, it makes sense that "industry" was chosen in 1959 as Utah's motto."

In case you want to know: A = arches, B = Bees, C = Coal and Copper, D = Dixie, E = Elk, F = Four Corners, G = Gulls, H = Handcarts, I = Irrigation, J = Jim Bridger and Jedediah Smith, K = Dr Willem Kolff (designed the first artificial heart), L = Great Salt Lake, M = Mormon Tabernacle Choir, N = Native clans, O = Outlaw Butch Cassidy, P = Pony Express, Q = Joe Quinney (formed the SLC Winter Sports Association), R = Railroad, S = Sego Lily, T = Topaz, U = Utahraptor, V = Vernal (Dinosaurland), W = Wasatch Mountains, X = Xeriscape, Y = Brigham Young, Z = Zions National Park.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Utah book for kids, August 14, 2009

By 

R. Hoover - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Is For Arches: A Utah Alphabet (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) (Hardcover)

Great Utah book for kids gives them lots of pictures and goes thru the whole alphabet giving examples from the state of Utah. Should buy all the state letter books like this!