Customer Reviews

The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance: Discovering Our Nations Heritage

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This is a small book (less than 50 pages) but it is packed with good information. It is appropriate for upper elementary and middle school aged children but it would be a good review for anyone. The author provides a brief background about the events that led the United States Government to write a pledge to its flag. This book contains an excellent overview of the people, events, and circumstances that impacted our nation. Tiner also discusses what the words and phrases in the pledge actually mean. There are questions at the end of the book as well as a list of some activities you can do to extend your learning.

Overall, this is a great resource to supplement your study of American History. A quick and easy read with review questions ready! What more could you ask for?

A small, straightforward picture book The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance tells the history of how the pledge came to be, how it has changed over the years, and how it is used in the United States. Did you know that the phrase "Under God" wasn't even added until 1954 by Dwight Eisenhower? Me neither.

I enjoyed this little book, but I have to admit I do wish it was a large size picture book because the illustrations are just gorgeous and the text is perfect as an advanced picture book for upper elementary and junior high students. I loved the text and read it from cover to cover because the information was so interesting and I didn't know any of it!

As you study the 4th of July, or search for ways to encourage patriotism in your children this book can be a big help. One focus of the book is to emphasize the parts of the pledge that come from our Christian heritage, and the faith in action from the men instrumental in it's writing.

A quick and easy reader or read aloud, the book also has a series of questions and activities at the end that help expand the learning experience and encourage patriotism. Also included in the book are several sidebar type sections that have miniature biographies or tangent but complimentary information about the flag. I didn't know anything about Flag Day either, and now I know why lots of people fly their flag on June 14th. I've walked out of my house a couple times and wondered why there was suddenly a prevalence of flags flying.

My bottom line: Had I run across this book in a bookstore I would have bought it immediately based on content alone. I do like this little book and appreciate that the size keeps the price tag just right. I wish it was more of a traditional picture book size. I don't know if you can tell from my pictures but it is about 6x4. Even so the content is outstanding and the illustrations are wonderful as well. I don't think you will be disappointed. It will be mandatory reading for my junior high students this year.



Disclaimer: This book was provided for me for free as part of the New Leaf Publishing Company's blogger review program. All that is required of me is an honest, unbiased review. Here you have it.

Did you know that our Pledge of Allegiance did not originally contain the words under God?

Did you know that Francis Bellamy was the man who wrote the Pledge?

Did you know that the Pledge used to be said with a solute, instead of hand over heart?

I didn't know any of this until my daughter and I read The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance by John Hudson Tiner.

The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance is a small, 48 page book that is jam packed with knowledge of our Pledge.

If you are interested in learning the history of our Pledge, how it came to be, who wrote it, what the Pledge means, and many other facts about our Pledge, than I recommend this book.

We really enjoyed it. It is short enough that it only took us a few days to read it, but full enough that we actually learned a lot.

I really appreciated that it was written from a biblical perspective as well.

I know we will continue to use this as a reference when we need to quickly find information on our Pledge.

You can use this book on it's own, but it would also make a great addition to a unit study.

We have been learning about the Revolution time period, Betsy Ross, George Washington, America, etc., so this is a perfect addition to our unit study.

At only $6.99, you can't beat the price either.

I think it would make a great addition to your library as well.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The author goes over the history of the pledge which originated in 1892 and was altered twice. Once to change `my flag' to `the flag' and once to add `under God.' How the pledge came about is quite an interesting story in itself and not one I had heard or read previously.

I have been a fan of John Hudson Tiner's books since the first one I read. So when The Story of The Pledge of Allegiance was offered up for review, I jumped at it.

A pretty short little book, we read it aloud for a few minutes at a time over a few days.

This book includes sections talking about the changes made to the Pledge, how the Pledge came to be in the first place, brief biographical information about a number of people associated with the Pledge, a discussion of what the Pledge means, and there is even a quiz and some activity suggestions.

The section on what the Pledge means is fantastic. I plan to use this with my kids over and over again as they have Scout activities relating to the Pledge.

This is a fabulous, information-packed little book that I am very glad to own.

The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance is a delightful little book full of the history and facts regarding America's Pledge of Allegiance. Written and brought to the Nation by the trio of Daniel Ford, James Upham and Frances Bellamy it was originally tittled "Salute to the Flag".

Included in this book is fascinating information about the meaning behind the words and changes that took place to the phrasing over time. Also quotes from Presidents Harrison and Eisenhower regarding the Pledge of Allegiance and how the Bill of Rights pertains it.

In addition there's a section of Questions and Activities in the back of the book.

This would make a nice addition to your Civics or American History studies!

The Pledge of Allegiance is sometimes considered a controversial topic today, but in John Hudson Tiner's The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance, you and your child will learn the reason these 31 words were created and how they've changed over the years.

First, I must give a round of applause to Bryan Miller, who designed the book. It is engaging and beautiful, packed with excellent photographs both from history and modern times. But Tiner deserves applause, too, because his text is simple without being dumbed down, and contains lots of interesting information about the Pledge. For example, you'll learn:

* When and why the Pledge was created.

* Why the words "under God" were added to the Pledge by President Einsenhower.

* Why the original "pledge allegiance to my flag" was changed to "...to the flag."

* A brief history of immigration to the U.S., beginning with the pilgrims and ending in the early 1900s, including information on the costs of coming here.

* Information on some flag pledges used in various states across the U.S. before the official Pledge was adopted.

* Details on how 19th century children helped bring flags to every school.

* What the Pledge itself means.

* A bit about what freedom in America means.

There is also a quiz at the back of the book, in addition to a glossary and suggested activities.

What I Like: There's lots to like about this book. The author doesn't shirk from the Christian history of our nation, whether talking about why the Pilgrims came here, what the Founding Fathers felt about religion, or why "under God" was added to the pledge. He also does a great job covering controversial topics like Columbus. Tiner writes: "Columbus is honored as the one who discovered America. The native Americans did not know that Europe existed, and the Europeans did not know about the New World. Columbus discovered America because he made each group aware that the other existed."

I also really like how Tiner interweaves various parts of American history into the book. While learning about the flag and the pledge, we also learn a bit about such topics as the Revolution, the Civil War, and the Cold War.

What I Dislike: My only complaint is the following, confusing, sentences: "The United States is a 'republic.' We vote for our leaders...The United States is a democracy, a Greek word that means 'the people rule.'" Technically, the U.S. is not a democracy, and the author fails to explain why he calls our nation both a republic and a democracy.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Kristina Seleshanko
Christian Children's Book Review