A Is for America

Sleeping Bear Alphabets

by Devin Scillian, Pam Carroll (Illustrator)

From the British and our Constitution that replaced their rule, to Yellowstone and Zane Grey's stories of the west, A Is for America is a sweeping tribute to all we know and love about our country. With delightful poems that beg to be read aloud, and expository text to broaden a reader's horizons, this American alphabet will make you fall in love with the United States over and over again. Bright, beautifully detailed illustrations from California artist Pam Carroll bring each letter to vibrant life, from eagles and Thomas Edison to the veterans of two world wars. Celebrate all that is Americana with A Is for America: An American Alphabet. A T as tall as Texas for Thanksgiving and telephone. Harry S. Truman, Harriet Tubman and trips to the Twilight Zone. Times Square on New Year's Eve, a tangy Tootsie Roll. Turning timber into a tall and towering totem pole. Children and adults will delight in finding details of each rhyme on every page. A is for America is a timeless tribute to all we love about the United States.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, American History, Childrens, History, Geography, Holiday

56 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A is for America" is a capsule of the American life, representing a variety of topics that correspond to each letter of the alphabet. Focusing on well-known landmarks, well-loved pastimes, and well-studied pieces of American history, this extensive overview of the United States, paired with Carroll's astoundingly lifelike illustrations, reading "A is for America" will leave readers feeling better acquainted with the county and its culture.

illustration: oil paint, by Pam Carroll

Having grown up reading books from this alphabet series, picking up "A is for America" was a walk down memory lane. However, rereading it years later gave me a newfound appreciation for this book; the twenty-six topics Scillian chose to include, picked from the entirety of America's history, capture the personality of this nation so well. Not only does he focus on the highlights of grandeur, but he illuminates the quieter aspects of the country's personality, resulting in an all-encompassing picture of just what "America" means and represents.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alphabet-based tour of America. The book mostly focuses on famous natural landmarks and historical achievements of Americans prior to 1970. The text is a rhyming, alliterative quatrain with a side bar that includes a few further notes on things mentioned.

I think if you asked every American to come up with their own list of iconic American things for each letter you'd get highly varying lists. I certainly wouldn't have come up with many of the things Scillian did. I'm also kinda surprised it didn't include any modern things. This wouldn't serve as a very good modern intro to the country for foreign kids. For example, no Times Square or Hollywood, things the average foreigner thinks of when imagining a visit to America. It does serve as a nice history read for those studying US history. And language teachers could use the lines as examples of alliteration.

[Tatiana Ensz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Levels
Lexile: 570L
DRA: 28

Explanation of rating: I gave this book four stars simply because it is educational and it is about America. It may not be the most engaging book out there but I want my students to have the option to read about America when they are grazing through my classroom library.

How we might use this in our classroom/application of six traits: The trait that stood out to me the most is organization because this book is extremely well-organized. It goes A-Z through the alphabet and I know students will enjoy when the state they grew up in is mentioned in the book, I know I liked that when I read through it. I would use this as a tool for a history lesson about America, maybe I would key in on one of the pages in particular and have the class do more research on one of the facts from the book.

[Viviane Elbee]

This alphabet book has quite a lot of text if you cover both the little poem for each letter AND the side matter informational boxes that give a bit of context to words mentioned in the poem. There are a lot of different famous American people cited, like Hemingway, Ford, George Washington, Rosa Parks, Neil Armstrong, Sitting Bull etc... It also mentions many states and cities, like Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Minnesota etc... and many famous landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Times Square etc... It lists a fair number of inventions that happened in the USA, such as the zipper and peanut butter. It is a wide overview of different "famous" places, things and people in US history.
I learned a few trivia facts.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

First grade unit: America- Seems to have the same issue as the first grade teachers: what to cover in a unit on ALL of American history and culture- it's very full, and maybe confusing to kids not really familiar with most of the words, but could also be good for jumping off into different topics about America: contains tons of American geography, history and biography organized by abc order.

Some pages made me feel particularly patriotic.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I love about this book: all the history the author managed to cram into the rhymes! There is so much here that could lead into discussions or sharing stories with kids. Somehow he even managed to squeeze Kamehameha in!
What I don't love about this book: the rhymes don't always flow very well. The meter is often a little choppy.
I think I would've loved this if it were presented as prose instead of poetry.

[Sarah Howlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trait: Presentation
ATOS: 5.4
Lexile: 570L
This book has a unique format and incorporates Social Studies and Language Arts very well. I think this book would be great to do one page a day leading up to a holiday and start a discussion each day based on that page. A book for older students who have basic history knowledge. The main trait in this book is presentation; each page is formatted in a unique way that ties in with the sequence of the alphabet.

[Justine Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an alphabet book but it lists and describes many aspects of America, both current and historic. H, for example talks about Huck Finn. T talks about Timesquare celebration of new years eve. It also talks about land marks. G is for Grand Canyon and R being for Mount Rushmore. Its a great book to discuss different aspects of American culture geared at students in 4th or 5th grade.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very fun and kids would definitely enjoy it and learn from it. It talks about America of course, and identifies historical people, places, or things for each letter. It is an easy read so the kids can read along, and then in the side panel there's a more specific or detailed review of the information. Definitely a good one for a classroom shelf.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book as a more complex ABC book about America. The story itself rhymes and there are only a few lines on each page. However, on the sides of the pages there are facts that give more description and information. Reading this book to a classroom of young students, you don't need to read all those additional notes, but they are there if you want them.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book that is more of a history tome for young children than a traditional ABC book, though it's organized alphabetically with different things and events in America to represent each letter.

[Courtney Sharpton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would use this book in the older grades. Even though it is an alphabet book it goes through American history and American places and writes about them. I would defiantly use this book in the older grades at the beginning of the year.

[Beth Schencker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informational picture book from A to Z including historical information of the history of the USA. Accompanying each "lettered" stanza come a short explanation of factual material written in prose. Topics covered include immigration, the gold rush, the American flag, and much more.

[Sydney Martindale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like these "A is for....." books because they have so much information in them. The only problem is I didn't find any back-matter to back up all this information, however the pictures were also stunning.

[Viviane Elbee]

An alphabet book that talks about famous landmarks, people, places & historical events in America. The main text is in rhyme, but each page includes a sidebar with additional information in prose. It is a relatively long book if you read all of the side matter.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice rhyming verse as well as deeper insights into the historical details of America on the side. Fun illustration by Pam Carroll.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

pictures, history, facts, information and ideals about america
an alphabet book of americanology

[Stephanie Sapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book to share with students on Patriot Day. The illustrations are fun and the book is informative.

[Hope Mullinax · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for exploring the history of America. Introduces many historical figures and events. This book is one of several in a series.

[Nancy Neff]

I tried this with first grade, but it is probably better for fourth or fifth to be read with history lessons on American History.

[Leslie]

Read as part of our Kindergarten LA

[Alainee Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know it's a great children's book when, as an adult, you still learn something!!!!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really wonderful alphabet book that could be used in so many ways in a classroom! I'm excited to get to try working into my lessons.

[Rosanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple historical book that goes through the alphabet. I probably would not read the entire book in one sitting, but I would read different parts and discuss them.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased for Calvin on our trip to Nashville, TN.

This is an alphabet book with different facts about our states and famous Americans.

[Journey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose it serves its purpose as an alphabet book about the United States. I'm not exactly sure who the book is FOR, though... as an alphabet book it's too wordy to keep the attention of the young ones learning the alphabet, and as an informational book on the United States, it definitely doesn't say much about any of the topics it touches on. All the same, it still circulates, and it doesn't have any outdated information. So... it stays.

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an alphabet-based poem about America. It includes many references to famous people, events, cities, and states. The rhyming, meter, and alliteration are solid. The pictures are well drawn. However, many (most?) of the references are going to go over the head of an average elementary student.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the better books in this series! I liked the well-written little poems for the younger children. The information for the older readers was simpler than in most of the others...better for troubled readers. The book included an extra page at the back explaining the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book felt a little outdated but was still a nice read.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A is for an almost all-white alphabet. There are a few "multicultural children playing together" illustrations, but most of the letters featured are Henry Ford, Paul Revere, etc. etc. etc. I appreciated the inclusion of King Kamehameha of Hawaii. Also, I don't understand why some of the pages appear to be turned down at the corners. What?