Customer Reviews

This Land Is Your Land

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a wonderful book! Woody Guthrie's simple but evocative lyrics (with all of the original verses restored) are brilliantly set off by the marvelous folk art oil paintings of Kathy Jakobsen.
Jakoben's artwork is what will draw you into the book. Double page landscapes depict the plains, the desert, and the dust blown wheat fields of Oklahoma. All four seasons are beautifully rendered as well. There are cityscapes (including a striking New York City with the Twin Towers still standing) and idyllic country landscapes. The Golden Gate Bridge, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Brooklyn Bridge, St. Louis Gateway Arch, Old Faithful, Seattle Space Needle, and Coney Island, among others, are American landmarks that pepper the pages of the book.
And the figure of Woody with his guitar wanders through all of them as our great American troubadour. (My kids play a game of lets find Woody on every page.)
The layout of the book keeps it endlessly interesting for both children and adults. Most of the verses are depicted with a double page painting, while the repeating chorus takes two pages that split into multiple scenes of Americana. In the Four Corners of these pages are small quotes from Guthrie's other song lyrics and writings. Children are captured by the bright and simple artwork, while adults can become lost within the multiple possibilities that are offered on every page.
This great American anthem of the common man and his love of the land, "made for you and me", receives a truly worthy treatment in this book. It is both a favorite of my pre-school children, and one of my most cherished books. Even if you don't have kids, it would make a fine book to put out on your coffee table to delight your guests with its many charms.

Theo Logos

My almost 5 year old son really is enjoying this book. He loves the pictures, and has learned the song and sings it often. Although I was not sure how he would react to some of the pictures of homelessness and hungry people, it has turned out to be a real conversation starter for us to talk about those tough subjects in a compassionate and non-scary way. I have always loved this song, and this book really does it justice.

My sons 3 and 5 really enjoy this book and singing along. One word of caution the CD that comes with the book, although enjoyable, does not follow the book words. It is a classic book and the illustrations and tune are memorable and something I am proud to share with my children.

My wife and I just returned from a long trip through the Southwest and southern Rockies. En route home to Florida we stopped off in Okemah, Oklahoma, Woody's home town, and it was there I discovered this beautiful book. It is, I suppose, a children's book, and I thought at first that I might give it to my grandchildren, but the combination of exquisite art work and well-chosen Woody-words is to good to give up. Solution: I plan to buy several copies as Christmas presents not only for my grandkids but for my friends' kids as well. If you're a fan of Woody's, or just love truly beautiful, warm-hearted childrens' books, you will want to do the same.

This book is one of my 18-month-old daughter's favorite books. She loves to hear me sing the song, loves to look at all the pictures, loves to look for Woody with his checked shirt and guitar. The message of the song, plus all the folk song and labor history, makes this a keeper for our household.

My children love "singing" books and this is one that should be sung more often and with great gusto! The illustrations are wonderul and display the diversity that is so prominient in the American landscape. We selected it as a gift for family friends who have two sons with Korean heritage, now American citizens. We also utilized it for a 4th of July celebration and it was very well received by multi-age children. It also has great appeal from an adult perspective...love the page toward the back with all of the various artists on stage...picking out the places I have traveled and those which still call to me....

My daughter received this book as a present when she was 2 years old. I thought it was "too old" for her, but it quickly became her favorite. Not only does she love the song (we sing it at least once every night before bed) but she also loves the intricate illustrations and looking for Woody and his guitar. There are many nights when I get all choked up hearing a 2 year old born in China and now a U.S. citizen singing "This land is your land, this land is my land" and saying "I love you, Woody!". I recommend this book for the young and old alike.

Take one look at this book and you will realize how much thought, time, and effort was put into its creation. I read this book to my class of four and five-year-olds on the last day of a unit in which we discussed America's landscape, its folk music, and what makes our country unique. What better song to sum it all up than an American classic such as this? They loved it! I sang the verses to them and they joined in on the chorus. I can't remember the last time a book captivated them the way this one did! And to make things even better, the CD comes with, not one, but NINE songs performed by Woody Guthrie and Arlo Guthrie, all of which are lively, memorable, and downright wonderful children's songs. My students, as well as the other teachers, thoroughly enjoy the music. This book and CD are an extremely valuable tool for the classroom as well as the home. I couldn't be happier with my purchase, and I would recommend it to anyone!

I was concerned at first when they used this as a teaching tool at my son's preschool for Fourth of July -- I have always been reluctant for my children to learn pure patriotism without learning healthy questioning and the ability to observe what can be improved about our country. For too long, people have forgotten that this was an angry song coming out of the dustbowl and depression -- about thriving despite the odds. Boy was I wrong to worry about this book -- it satisfies all of those things. This is the exact book I wanted -- it does all of those things and more. My son came home singing the song and telling me that they read a book about "neighborhood" -- he kept calling it the neighborhood book. It was only after I looked at the whole book that I understood. A month later, this is the song he wants to sing at bedtime and he is still talking about the "neighborhood" book on a daily basis. This is a MUST!

The first time I read this book to my five year old she said: "What a wonderful story". We read it often and I am so proud to be teaching her about "walking that freedom highway". This book should be in every family's home.