Customer Reviews

From Sea to Shining Sea; A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs

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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.

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.

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.

I've used this book in my work as a substitute teacher in elementary school and as a Scout leader. It reflects the
diversity of American culture - good Native American tales, for example. The continuity of the illustrations - each illustrator does one section - is a nice touch.

From Sea to Shining Sea: Lots of songs and pictures besides historic details -- great for any teacher to draw upon.... I am enjoying this collection....

I remember poring over this book as a little girl, taking it on long trips and reading and re-reading it over and over. I feel like it gave me a firm foundation in America that I didn't get from school. I loved the stories, the songs and poems. I'm 25 now and my husband and I are planning our homeschool curriculum- and I can't wait to share this book with our children. It doesn't cover controversies in great depth, but it does teach what it means to be an American- about the courage, integrity and hard work that went into building our country- and it's a great addition to the home library.

The is an amazing collection of American culture folktales, fables and short stories. I'm really sad to know that it wasn't republished with updates since 1993. Every family and classroom would appreciate the collections as told by famous Children's literature authors and the inviting art that accompanies it. I was so glad to find a copy to share with 2 young adults in my family who now have their own.

--S. Herbert