Customer Reviews

The Flag Maker

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The Flag Maker, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola - A story of the Star-Spangled Banner. A children's book that inspires and encourages adults and children to work hard toward something good.

While Susan Campbell Bartoletti usually writes for an older audience, I am glad that she took an aside to write this book. Her style of writing keeps the readers tied to the story and allows them to emotionally be there too. I love her patriotic nod to this historical family that typically gets ignored in America's history - not because of any lesser contribution, but because they were support, rather than at the battle's front. These brave women, hired to sew flags for young America's military, worked for many weeks on this particular flag - a huge flag that could be easily seen from many miles away. The book also emphasizes the pride the women took in making the flags - and the worry they felt when the bombardment of Ft McHenry took place (War of 1812).

Ms Bartoletti was inspired to write this story while on vacation in Washington D.C., at the Smithsonian Institute and actually saw the huge flag - the Star-Spangled Banner - she wondered about the hands that made the 350,000 stitches - who they were and how they lived. In some aspects of the book, she assumed information - for example who the helpers were, or whether young Caroline could see the Fort from her bedroom window - but the assumptions were reasonable and typical of the probable truths.

I love our American history! I love the stories of those who have gone before - who decided what was right, and moved forward toward those great goals. I love the stories of the struggles toward freedom; the people who worked, sacrificed, and succeeded in their quests to make a better world for themselves and their children. It always inspires me to be better than myself; to find the right paths in life and work toward making the world better for myself and my children.

This is a book that would enhance and be valuable to any library - public or private - to help children associate with the real people of their past, to feel pride and courage to do the right thing, and work hard to reach good goals - whether for a paid job or a personal goal - we all need these kinds of people to look up to.