Minnesota (America the Beautiful, Second) [Library Binding]

Martin Hintz (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: America the Beautiful, Second

Describes the geography, plants, animals, history, economy, language, religions, culture, sports, art, and people of the state of Minnesota.

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Gillian Engberg
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 144 pages
• Publisher: Children's Press (CT) (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0516210408
• ISBN-13: 978-0516210407
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,741,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You have seen the quarter, now read about the state, May 4, 2005

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Minnesota (America the Beautiful, Second) (Library Binding)

The quarter for Minnesota is the one currently being produced by the U.S. Mint for its ten-week period as the commemorative quarters being produced from 1999-2008. If you have all of them to date that gives you $8 in change. Of course finding a Minnesota quarter in Minnesota is pretty much impossible at this point (fortunately I know some one who runs a bank). On the other hand if you want to see a lake, we are the place to visit. You probably know that the state's nickname is the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but you have probably figured out there are not exactly 10,000 lakes. In fact there are more than 15,000 lakes (but Land of More than 15,000 Lakes does not have the same cache apparently despite the relative accuracy). Martin Hintz explains this in Chapter One, "What's in a Name?" for this volume in the American the Beautiful, Second Series. Young readers will also learn that of all those lakes 11,842 cover more than 10 acres and that with than many to name it is not surprising that there are 156 Long Lakes, 83 Bass Lakes, and at least 3 Swan Lakes for the state's ballerinas. Actually the official state nickname is the North Star State, but since we lost the North Stars to Dallas, where they won the Stanley Cup, that nickname has painful associations (and the Gopher State is not exactly the image we want).

The next three chapters of the book tell the history of the state, beginning with Chapter 2, "The First Minnesotans," which goes all the way back to the Eastern Archaic people of the Copper Culture, the settling of the territory and the steps taken to make Minnesota the 32nd state in 1858. Chapter Three, "The Drawing of a New Age," covers the Civil War, "Little House on the Prairie," and the coming of the railroads. Chapter Three, "Changing Terms," goes from Prohibition to the postwar era. Chapter Five, "Water, Winter, Woods" covers the topography and geographical features of the state, including wildflowers and weasels. "Cities As Varied As the Landscape" is the topic for Chapter Six, while explaining Minnesota politics and former governor Jesse Ventura is the province of Chapter Seven, "A Progressive Government." This is where you find out about the states symbols, including the state muffin being blueberry (I am so proud).

Chapter Eight, "Timber, Wheat, and Tourism," is where you find this book's recipe for Wild Ric Soup (the obvious choice in case you were wondering). Chapter Nine, "A Diverse Group," explains the various ancestors for the states immigrants from the Ojibwa groups to the Scandinavians to the last surge of immigrants consisting of the Hmong people from Laos. The title of Chapter Ten, "'Where All the Women Are Strong...,'" comes from Garrison Keillor's tales about the fictional Minnesota town of Lake Wobegon ("the men good looking and all the children are above average") on broadcasts of "A Prairie Home Companion." This chapter includes famous authors from Sinclair Lewis to F. Scott Fitzgerald, musicians from Bob Dylan to Prince, and whoever is playing quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.

The back of the book includes a Timeline contrasting U.S. History and Minnesota state history side by side, and several pages of Fast Facts. Throughout the book there are color photographs, original maps, and lots of informative sidebars. This last is where young readers will find some of the most interesting things in the book about Jesse James coming to Minnesota, the legends of Lake Itasca (the true head of the Mississippi River), the Green Giant who eats his vegetables, the Lone Eagle who flew across the Atlantic, and the public servants of the Humphrey family. Hintz lives in Wisconsin, but he does an excellent job of covering the state in all its glory. The only surprise is that when we have the inevitable picture of the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth it is a long distance shot from the Lakefront walkway. I am not sure if I have ever seen a long distance shot of Duluth's iconic symbol in a book before.

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you wanted to know about MN and more!, February 1, 2007

By 

Arizona Mom (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minnesota (America the Beautiful, Second) (Library Binding)

This book was perfect for my 5th grader's extensive state report on Minnesota!