Purple Mountain Majesty [Hardcover]

Barbara Younger (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Colorful, lively, and carefully researched, here is a picture book about the trip west that a young Wellesley professor took, which resulted in an expression of hope for America's spiritual life that has stirred citizens of all ages ever since. In l893, when she was thirty-four, Katharine Lee Bates was invited to teach summer school in Colorado Springs. Crossing the country, and exploring the Rockies, she was forcefully moved by a realization of the nation's great physical blessings. Most glorious scenery I ever beheld, she wrote after a journey to the top of Pikes Peak. Later that day, she composed four stanzas of verse that eventually became the words of America the Beautiful. Capturing the essence of Katharine's imagination, idealism, and humor, Barbara Younger's graceful text provides an intriguing glimpse of American history and women's history. Stacey Schuett's expansive, heartfelt illustrations, glowing with color, bring readers close to canyon and sky, prairie and mountain.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Younger's first children's book tells the little-known story of the making of one of America's favorite patriotic songs. In the summer of 1893, 34-year-old Katharine Lee Bates, who taught English literature at Wellesley College, set out by train from Massachusetts for Colorado Springs, where she had agreed to deliver a series of lectures. Bates took copious notes while crossing the varied terrain, making stops at Niagara Falls and the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. With frequent quotes from Bates's diary, Younger chronicles, at times in excessive detail, the highlights of the teacher's trip, among them the "rich amber wheat fields of the Great Plains" and the Colorado Rockies, which "shone purple in the sun." How these vistas inspired the poem that became "America the Beautiful" makes a quaint story, though some readers may find it a rather rambling path. Schuett's (Somewhere in the World Right Now) appealing folk art brims with period particulars?such as beribboned hats and full-shouldered dresses, travel chests and home furnishings?as well as sprawling renderings of those natural wonders that well deserve Bates's tribute. The complete lyrics of the song appear only on the dust jacket. A pleasant sliver of Americana. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?A picture-book look at the origins of a beloved song and at the woman who wrote the words. In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates of Wellesley College traveled west by train to be a visiting lecturer at a college in Colorado Springs. Stopping at Niagara Falls and at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, she jotted impressions along the way. The stunning scenery of Colorado inspired her to write a poem in praise of all she had seen and about the American ideals she held dear. The verses were published and later set to music. After several revisions, the song known today as "America the Beautiful" was composed by Samuel Ward. This fictionalized snippet of history will be of interest to children studying patriotic songs. The writing is serviceable and succinct with occasional quotes from Bates's diary. Full-color paintings show Bates enjoying her journey and offer some stunning views of mountains, hills, and plains. The complete lyrics of the song can be found on the back cover; unfortunately, no score is included. An additional purchase for music or Americana collections.?Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525456538
• ISBN-13: 978-0525456537
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #831,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book For All Ages, December 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Purple Mountain Majesty (Hardcover)

Purple Mountain Majesties is one of the only books I have read that delightfully combine history, information, story telling, and beautiful pictures together. And this has been done in such a way as to make this book enjoyable to read by any one of any age. Barbara Younger brings Katherine Lee Bates and here poem America the Beautiful to life for us. And sometimes we need reminders of just how beautiful America really is! Hats off to Barbara and Stacey for quite an excellent book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous in many ways!, November 15, 2000

By 

"joannawilson" (Chapel Hill, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purple Mountain Majesty (Hardcover)

This historical biography is terrific! It paints a beautiful picture, both in illustration and in words, of the life of Katharine Lee Bates. Her story is captured brilliantly in the pages of this book and I recommend it to children and adults of all ages. The illustrations are simply gorgeous and the story coincides perfectly. Be sure to look for the "hidden flag" on the first and last pages! A definite must-have for any story collection.

4.0 out of 5 stars This book doesn't teach the song "America the Beautiful", July 31, 2006

By 

Dallas Girl (Sterling, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purple Mountain Majesties (Reading Railroad Books) (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book with amazing illustrations which give added meaning to the words to "America the Beautiful" and some history on how it was written. My disappointment with the book was that it did not include the words to the song only excerpts here and there. So, this book is better suited to a reader who already knows the song. My primary school age child doesn't know the song yet so it was a teachable moment, but an older child would appreciate it more.