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M is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet

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Here are our national parks
In an alphabet from A to Z,
Places of beauty and wonder
That belong to you and me

If you get to see one tenth of the national parks we have in the United States, then you are ahead of the game. When you go to see a national park chances are that it is something in your neck of the woods or one of the most famous parks, like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon. In "M is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet," writer David Domeniconi and illustrator Pam Carroll touch on what national parks are out there, both big and small, for young readers to convince their parents that the family should go and visit. Today there are over fifty national parks, with new ones being established from time to time, all created with the same idea of preserving forever our natural wonders. More importantly, every one of those fifty national parks is worked into the pages of this book.

The national parks are arranged from A to Z, and before we get that far there is a two page ma p of the country showing you were all of them are, and one look tells you that living in the western half of the country is a big advantage, because that is where most of them can be found. Alaska has seven of them, which are going to be beyond the reach of most Americans, even those living up there. Then again, if you want to talk about a national park in the west, trying visiting the one in American Samoa on the front door of Australia.

That is one of the three parks we see under "A", although officially "A is for Acadia" National Park along the coast of Maine. Acadia gets the main painting, but there is also one of the Flying Foxes (bats) of American Samoa and one of the defining features of Arches National Park in Utah. Yes, there has to be some creativity to account for all 26 letters: "F" is for Kenai Fjords National Park, "Q" is for the Queens Chamber at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, "T" is for Grant Teton, "U" is for the Upheaval Dome at Canyonlands National Park in Utah, and "X" if for Long X Trail at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

The result is a nice little introduction to those fifty national parks, which should spark some interest in young readers wanting to find out more about them and eventually getting to actually go see some of these places. I have made it to one more than ten percent at this point, but my new goal is to get to double figures by the end of this decade (two of them are actually in this neck of the woods, so that would be a start: go back to the map and see what the closest parks are to you). "M is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet" is one off a series from the Sleeping Bear Press' Discover America series. This includes "A is for America: An American Alphabet," "E is for Empire: A New York State Alphabet," and "G is for Golden: A California Alphabet."

Lots of information is packed into this richly illustrated book about our national parks. A great read for young and old alike. A definite addition to our son's storybook collection.

I found this book a very nice book about the national parks. It covers the most popular parks and some that many people may not be aware of. I worked in Yellowstone National Park and loved being there for a whole summer. I really recommend it to anyone with a summer to spare and enjoy! Afterwards I traveled home visiting many national parks along the way. This is a great book to help introduce the concept to children and reinforce why there are national parks. I use it in my classroom.