From Sea to Shining Sea; A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs [Textbook Binding]

Amy L. Cohn (Author), Molly Garrett Bang (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1993 | Age Level: 7 and up

A collection of 140 folktales, songs, poems, and essays features the words of Mark Twain, Virginia Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Stephen Foster, and Woody Guthrie and pays tribute to American folklore. 150,000 first printing. $250,000 ad/promo. BOMC Alt. History Bk Club Feat.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This sumptuous anthology gathers into its generous embrace a rich mix of cultural heritages, from Native American and African American to Hispanic, Pennsylvania Dutch, Cajun, Jewish, Shaker, Scandinavian and others. The resulting medley of folk songs, folklore, prose and poetry is as lovely as an Appalachian patchwork quilt, with each piece a unique but integral part of the whole. Each of 15 Caldecott artists--including Chris Van Allsburg, Barbara Cooney, Donald Crews, Molly Bang and Ed Young--provides stylish illustrations for an entire unit of the book, which is divided chronologically and thematically. Creation stories, pourquoi tales and a Navajo song conjure up America "In the Beginning" (Leo and Diane Dillon illustrate this section); the American revolution, the immigrant experience, slavery, westward expansion, tall tales, ghost stories and baseball all receive their due. The final section, "In Our Time," features numerous 20th-century landmarks (including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech) as well as folklore from such latter-day immigrant cultures as Vietnamese, Haitian and Cuban. What better way for children to get acquainted with their country's wealth of diversity than through an all-star collaboration like this? All ages.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A swell compilation (almost as good as the 150,000 first printing, BOMC choice, etc., suggests) of ``the heart and soul of America's story''--folk tales and songs from major ethnic groups, historical vignettes, and more, all arranged in 15 topical sections (with eight to ten entries each) on historical periods, typical genres (tricksters; nonsense; animal stories), and such quintessentially American topics as railroads, tall-tale heroes, and baseball (including Abbott and Costello's ``Who's on First?''--one of several entries not easily available elsewhere). Cohn's selections are informed by conscience as well as diversity (the ten pieces in the section entitled ``Let My People Go'' all represent African-American points of view); her range, representation, and ear for cadence, humor, and appeal are admirable. The best entries are well-honed songs and stories left in the form in which they earned their popularity; the abridgments, retellings, and historical summaries don't have the same energy, but do help tie it all together and make a vehicle for the art that comprises nearly half of this generously huge book. The 14 blue-ribbon artists, most of them Caldecott medalists, aren't always at their best here, nor do they always work in their trademark styles and media (Van Allsburg's humorous ``Frozen Logger'' is in intricate pen and ink), but there's a wealth of splendid images (Ed Young's concluding ``Earth/always/endures''--Native American), and some intriguing matches (Trina Schart Hyman illustrating a Julius Lester tale originally visualized by fellow contributor Jerry Pinkney). Introductory comments for each entry plus interesting endnotes (including ``Read More About It'' sections) and more specific acknowledgements yield a lot (but not always the actual sources for the retold stories, and it's cumbersome to search all three). A treasure-trove for browsing, enlivening the curriculum, reading aloud, devouring whole, or returning to nibble again and again. ``Suggestions for Further Reading''; subject guide; chronology; index. (Anthology. 4-12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Textbook Binding: 399 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; 1St Edition edition (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590428683
• ISBN-13: 978-0590428682
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful treasury for elementary age students., February 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: From Sea to Shining Sea; A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs (Textbook Binding)

This is a wonderful book that is full of american folklore. It includes stories, poetry, folk songs, and illustrations. The illustrations are fabulous and are by well-known picture book artists including Marcia Brown, Barbara Cooney, Leo and Diane Dillon, Trina Schart Hyman, Chris Van Allsburg, and Ed Young. The folktale retellings are well-written and are appropriate for reading out loud as well as fourth grade reading level and above. The included folk songs have the musical score as well as the lyrics. I highly recommend this book for parents and teachers.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful resource for home and classroom educators, November 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: From Sea to Shining Sea; A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs (Textbook Binding)

A beautiful book with a terrific variety of offerings. I homeschool and have used this book repeatedly through the years with a 10 year old and now a 5 year old. This book gives an excellent foundation for each of the subjects covered in its separate chapter. There are stories, poems, brief non-fiction pieces, and songs that include simple but nicely creative piano accompaniment. You'll find everything from scary southern folk tales to "Who's on First" to a brief, accessible and sad report of Isabel's "cleansing" of Spain. The writers and artists are incredibly diverse, and include Norman Finkelstein, Longfellow, and Leo and Diane Dillon. The fact that the above and many others can seamlessly exist is a wonderful testament to the talents of the editors, Cohn and Bang. Perhaps they could compile an equally terrific anthology of world lit for kids; I'd snap it up. My kids love it and will gladly pick it up on their own to pore over the beautiful artwork.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Sea to Shining Sea, November 27, 2003

By 

Theatre Kidd "princessofmirkwood" (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Sea to Shining Sea; A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs (Textbook Binding)

This book is a treasury of poems, songs, and stories, from the great country of the US :) The songs are traditional, and, if you have a little skill in piano, flute, recorder, or mallet percussion, you can play them with ease.

The poems are okay, and they include Paul Revere's Ride, which is wonderful.

The stories are also interesting, and they probably aren't ones that you've ever heard before; all of them are 'G' rated, except for one that might be a little scary for little kids in the first section about a girl whose fingers were smashed off by her father and brothers (gross).

This book is okay, but it isn't the greatest thing out there.