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An American ABC
Presents an alphabet of illustrations of the American spirit from its history, biography and legends.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1941
91 people want to read
About the author
Maud Petersham
184 books3 followersMaud Fuller was the daughter of a Baptist minister, She grew up with three sisters in a parsonage. The family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Newburg, New York, and finally to Scranton, Pennsylvania. As a child, she loved picture books and to draw. After graduating from Vassar College she studied at the New York School Of Fine And Applied Art. Her first job was in the art department at the International Art Service, an advertising firm, where she met her husband, Miska Petersham.
The Petershams began illustrating books together, at first only for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, the couple received the Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, a book of American songs, rhymes, and games in the tradition of Mother Goose. Often they traveled to foreign lands such as Holland, Greece, Germany, and Palestine to do research for their books. They had a close working relationship with their juvenile editor and were allowed to plan their own books entirely from making the dummy to choosing the format, layout, colors, and type. Their routine consisted of Maud writing the stories and doing the roughs; then Miska would finish, doing the color separations on acetate and all the tedious hand work.
The Petershams wrote and illustrated 60 books for children and illustrated 100 by other authors. When Miska died in 1960, Maud sold the Woodstock, New York, house in which they had lived and worked for forty years and moved to a smaller home in Woodstock. In addition to the 1946 Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, the Petershams also received the 1942 Caldecott Honour Award in 1942 for "An American ABC".
The Petershams began illustrating books together, at first only for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, the couple received the Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, a book of American songs, rhymes, and games in the tradition of Mother Goose. Often they traveled to foreign lands such as Holland, Greece, Germany, and Palestine to do research for their books. They had a close working relationship with their juvenile editor and were allowed to plan their own books entirely from making the dummy to choosing the format, layout, colors, and type. Their routine consisted of Maud writing the stories and doing the roughs; then Miska would finish, doing the color separations on acetate and all the tedious hand work.
The Petershams wrote and illustrated 60 books for children and illustrated 100 by other authors. When Miska died in 1960, Maud sold the Woodstock, New York, house in which they had lived and worked for forty years and moved to a smaller home in Woodstock. In addition to the 1946 Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, the Petershams also received the 1942 Caldecott Honour Award in 1942 for "An American ABC".
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 14, 2018
This book was written in 1941 during WWII. It is rather funny. It spells Immigrant as Emigrant. At this time there were only 48 states. The Indians weren't very nice to an invading people taking up resources and land - imagine that.
It tries to be very patriotic and pro America. It's an interesting document.
The art is not for me and each letter is somewhat long. We have come far in our awareness as a nation.
It tries to be very patriotic and pro America. It's an interesting document.
The art is not for me and each letter is somewhat long. We have come far in our awareness as a nation.
February 3, 2020
From "A is for America, the land I love," to "Z is for Zeal, an American trait," this patriotic alphabet book from 1941 explores concepts, events and historical figures that are important in American history and to the American identity. Less of a picture-book than an illustrated collection of vignettes, all arranged alphabetically, it is part of Maud and Miska Petersham's series of This Is America books, and includes brief entries on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, on the Liberty Bell and Old Glory, and on the Jamestown Colony and Valley Forge.
Chosen as a Caldecott Honor book in 1942 - other titles chosen that year include In My Mother's House , Paddle-to-the-Sea and Nothing At All - this title is very much a product of its times, reflecting the heightened levels of nationalistic feeling during the World War II era, as well as some of the outdated notions of non-European peoples abroad in the culture during that period. The page on the "Redskins," in particular, made me cringe. That said, it was interesting to see a book written by Maud and Miska Petersham themselves, as I am familiar with them primarily through their illustrations for other authors' books, from Elizabeth Cleveland Miller's Pran of Albania , which was a Newbery Honor Book in 1930, to Olive Beaupré Miller's gorgeous collection, Tales Told in Holland . I enjoy the Petershams' vividly colorful artwork - one of the copies of Heidi that I own is illustrated by them - so I was appreciative on that score, even though I found the text less-than-pleasing. Recommended primarily to Caldecott completists, and to fans of Maud and Miska Petersham.
Chosen as a Caldecott Honor book in 1942 - other titles chosen that year include In My Mother's House , Paddle-to-the-Sea and Nothing At All - this title is very much a product of its times, reflecting the heightened levels of nationalistic feeling during the World War II era, as well as some of the outdated notions of non-European peoples abroad in the culture during that period. The page on the "Redskins," in particular, made me cringe. That said, it was interesting to see a book written by Maud and Miska Petersham themselves, as I am familiar with them primarily through their illustrations for other authors' books, from Elizabeth Cleveland Miller's Pran of Albania , which was a Newbery Honor Book in 1930, to Olive Beaupré Miller's gorgeous collection, Tales Told in Holland . I enjoy the Petershams' vividly colorful artwork - one of the copies of Heidi that I own is illustrated by them - so I was appreciative on that score, even though I found the text less-than-pleasing. Recommended primarily to Caldecott completists, and to fans of Maud and Miska Petersham.
October 5, 2017
Like Robert Lawson’s They Were Strong and Good, this book tries hard to convey a set of specific American ideals, this time using the alphabet as the vehicle for sharing information about famous American people, places, and other icons. The book is obviously dated now because it refers to Native Americans as “red men,” “redskins” and “unfriendly Indians,” and it uses the word “Negroes,” but it’s actually not a terrible introduction to American history. I learned the origin of the word “knickerbocker,” which appealed to my New York roots and I was pleased that the authors did note that American Indians were the first real Americans. Finally, I thought it was interesting to see the version of the pledge that does not contain “under God” and to note the 48-star flag.
September 1, 2016
Of course, looking at this book through the lens of our current world there's much to criticize about this book. As you'd expect, there's much denigrating of native americans in this collection of short bits of American history (although, at one point, they are referred to as "the first real Americans"). There were statements that I found highly hypocritical. But beyond that, the story is rather dull, and I found the illustrations static and lifeless. Also: Surprise! X is for Xmas. Huh? I thought this was about American history?
June 4, 2012
Though I did learn a lot about the word Knickerbocker (letter K) on the whole this book was weaker than I expected. By today's standards some letters are especially offensive (i.e. R is for Redskins) and some were really lame (X is for X-mas; Z is for Zeal). Most illustrations were full page black and white with blue or red highlights, some were full color. Text filled the page opposite the illustrations, but in my opinion provided fluffy facts.
July 27, 2019
The artwork is excellent, except for when it illustrates the racism embedded in this book. This is the ra-ra sort of patriotism you would expect from a children's book published in 1941, and it covers the high points of American history through the lens of victory and freedom. As someone who is frustrated by how piecemeal my knowledge of many things is, the lack of chronology in the organization is frustrating, though it's necessary for the alphabetical nature of it. I question since of the alphabet choices, though. E is for emigrant, when you're talking about all the people who come to this country??? Maybe people emigrating would make it a better country, but that's not what they mean to say.
And the racism. *Sigh* Native Americans are referred to as "Redskins" for the first half of the book, and then R actually stands for Redskins. The illustrations for Jamestown, South America, and Thanksgiving show the native in a sullen, subservient position next to a helpful or heroic white. The quite literal white-washing of history here is egregious.
And the racism. *Sigh* Native Americans are referred to as "Redskins" for the first half of the book, and then R actually stands for Redskins. The illustrations for Jamestown, South America, and Thanksgiving show the native in a sullen, subservient position next to a helpful or heroic white. The quite literal white-washing of history here is egregious.
January 16, 2018
• 1942 Caldecott Honor Book •
This is a fascinating book from an historical point of view. It was published in September 1941, exactly two years after the beginning of World War II and three months before the United States entered the war. This book is loaded with pro-American sentiment and illustrations, with lines such as “Today it is the will of every American to keep our country the Land of the Free."
There are some cringeworthy words such as “Red is for Redskins” however the text does say “Their land was taken from them as more and more white men settled here.” The letter X stands for Xmas which is completely cheating also completely inaccurate since that’s not just an American holiday not to mention not everyone in America celebrates it.
The illustrations are amazing and highly detailed. Again, there are some cringey spots like the drawing of a black man with giant red lips and gawking, but oddly the South America and Native Americans I thought were well done. The illustrations were about half full color, and half black and white with blue highlights.
I’m giving this 4 stars because this is just a fascinating slice of American life in the 1940s and the drawings are beautiful.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
This is a fascinating book from an historical point of view. It was published in September 1941, exactly two years after the beginning of World War II and three months before the United States entered the war. This book is loaded with pro-American sentiment and illustrations, with lines such as “Today it is the will of every American to keep our country the Land of the Free."
There are some cringeworthy words such as “Red is for Redskins” however the text does say “Their land was taken from them as more and more white men settled here.” The letter X stands for Xmas which is completely cheating also completely inaccurate since that’s not just an American holiday not to mention not everyone in America celebrates it.
The illustrations are amazing and highly detailed. Again, there are some cringey spots like the drawing of a black man with giant red lips and gawking, but oddly the South America and Native Americans I thought were well done. The illustrations were about half full color, and half black and white with blue highlights.
I’m giving this 4 stars because this is just a fascinating slice of American life in the 1940s and the drawings are beautiful.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
February 20, 2013
This is an interesting relic from the World War II era, populated with a attitudes and patriotism that feel almost as dated as the illustrations. The book draws heavily on the colonial period to fill out the illustrations from A to Z. The brittle pages and the propaganda-poster-like illustrations, the entries that highlight how much things have changed in seventy years ("redskins", American the Christian nation) add to the dated quality of the book. It is striking to realize when looking at the passengers on a ship in "E is for emigrants" that for a reader in 1941 looking back another seventy years might have meant that ship ride for them, their parents or grandparents.
September 19, 2017
Very, very dated. In this book, "R is for Redskins." (*cringe*) However, it does point out that they are the first Americans, which is progressive for the 1940s, especially since some people today can't seem to remember that.
But the pictures are sweet and some of the letters are for things I wouldn't have guessed. (Q is for Quakers!) Also, "E is for Emigrants." The text underneath reminds us that all (white) Americans are here because people left their homes to come to America "because this country stood for Freedom." It also says that people from everywhere are still coming, and that "good emigrants make true Americans." Many Americans seem to have forgotten that, too.
But the pictures are sweet and some of the letters are for things I wouldn't have guessed. (Q is for Quakers!) Also, "E is for Emigrants." The text underneath reminds us that all (white) Americans are here because people left their homes to come to America "because this country stood for Freedom." It also says that people from everywhere are still coming, and that "good emigrants make true Americans." Many Americans seem to have forgotten that, too.
March 25, 2012
Caldecott Honor--1942
Surely politically incorrect today, but beautiful, detailed illustrations none the less.
"F is for FREEDOM. That precious thing for which America stands.
Those men and women who were the first settlers in America came here to find freedom. Freedom means the right to believe and to live as one thinks best, and the right to worship God in one's own way. The early settlers had to struggle to make their new land free and their descendants have always fought to preserve that freedom. Today it is the will of every American to keep our country the Land of the Free."
Surely politically incorrect today, but beautiful, detailed illustrations none the less.
"F is for FREEDOM. That precious thing for which America stands.
Those men and women who were the first settlers in America came here to find freedom. Freedom means the right to believe and to live as one thinks best, and the right to worship God in one's own way. The early settlers had to struggle to make their new land free and their descendants have always fought to preserve that freedom. Today it is the will of every American to keep our country the Land of the Free."
October 24, 2012
This book won a 1942 Caldecott honor (though my favorite winner book from that year is "Paddle-To-The-Sea"). As other reviewers have said it is a bit dated, but is a very descriptive patriotic ABC book with bits of American history. The illustrations are very blue with highlights of red, white and black, and are very detailed. My favorite letter was "K is for Knickerbocker, the name of a family of early Dutch colonists." My favorite illustrations were "L is for Lincoln" and "Q is for Quakers." Recommended for ages 4-7, 2 stars.
July 5, 2022
I picked up this library discard because I love Maud and Miska Petersham's illustrations. There's some great historical information in the American ABC but some of it is dated (like R is for redskins *cringe* though it does say they were "The first real Americans.").
My 11th edition was printed in 1967 and has the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance; It was not in the original 1941 text (since it was not part of the Pledge at that time) and that makes me wonder if any other changes were made.
My 11th edition was printed in 1967 and has the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance; It was not in the original 1941 text (since it was not part of the Pledge at that time) and that makes me wonder if any other changes were made.
January 8, 2012
I usually try not to apply today's rules written to something from the 1940's, but in this case, there are some things that are a little insensitive in today's light. I will also forgive a lot of the patriotic fervor/propaganda, since it was published in 1941, and World War 2 had already started in Europe. I do enjoy the Petersham's illustrations for the most part, and there is some interesting bits of history in the book, but still, a pretty dated book.
April 18, 2016
This is an alphabet book about the United States. It was first published in 1941 and it shows. The are many things that would be considered offensive by today's standards. The idea of white supremacy, unflattering depictions of Native Americans, and promoting the ideas that all Americans are Christians. An actual quote is, "Many of the tribes were hostile, but there were friendly Indians too." I just couldn't say that this book holds up against the test of time.
July 31, 2009
Some books do not stand the test of time. This is one. The pictures are still beautiful, but the "R is for redskins" page might be a bit much. (Or a LOT much!) Also the X page is a huge stretch: "X is for Xmas and Xmas means Christmas" - And then the page barely explains how Christmas relates to America. hmmm. Pretty to look at. Maybe skip the letter R?
September 15, 2012
I found this 1941 Alphabet title in the West Clark Community Schools warehouse. The text is a bit dated in its presentation of all things Americana, and much of what is presented may not be entirely politically correct. But what is here is a good example of how alphabet books have been used historically.
June 20, 2013
1942 Caldecott Honor
I was disappointed in this ABC book about America's founding/history. Some of the words chosen for particular letters are not what I would have picked, but I did enjoy the illustrations.
I was disappointed in this ABC book about America's founding/history. Some of the words chosen for particular letters are not what I would have picked, but I did enjoy the illustrations.
June 2, 2011
Interesting ABC of homogeneous patriotism and steadfast American loyalty of the 1940s. A bit much for my sentiments of today.
Caldecott honor.
Caldecott honor.
January 14, 2012
I had a really hard time with this one.
It would be a really great example to use for discussion with older readers about bias and point of view throughout history.
It would be a really great example to use for discussion with older readers about bias and point of view throughout history.
January 6, 2016
Read aloud to Bradford.
August 2, 2024
I liked this ABC book, a Caldecott honor book. But the reader needs to place it in the historical and cultural context in which it was written and illustrated. Much has been learned about history since then (e.g., Columbus most likely wasn’t the first to sail to the Americas and Betsy Ross didn’t make the first flag). And references, such as Redskins, are no longer appropriate. Nonetheless I enjoyed the illustrative style and patriotic attitude.
January 25, 2025
A great ABC book that includes historical significance throughout the early years of our country. It does have content that may be offensive since it was written in the 1940's such as Native Americans being called "red-man".
It has Alaska and Hawaii as territories.
The art is beautiful and colorful.(read from a digital archive copy)
It has Alaska and Hawaii as territories.
The art is beautiful and colorful.(read from a digital archive copy)
August 1, 2025
Whooo, this is an interesting book. Not for young children.
This is an interesting look at how the American identity was defined in the 1940s. It has racist elements. It has a particularly rough and confusing portrayal of American Indians.
This is an interesting look at how the American identity was defined in the 1940s. It has racist elements. It has a particularly rough and confusing portrayal of American Indians.
July 20, 2019
A racist, sexist, pro-Christian piece of propaganda. So glad this is out of print.
January 18, 2012
1942 Caldecott Honor
Favorite Picture: S is for Simon Bolivar
Favorite line: On E is for Emigrants . . . They came to America because this country stood for Freedom.
Kid-friendly today? Meh . . . some of the historical summaries are great. But other parts like referring to Native Americans as redskins, or listing Christmas (X is for Xmas) seem a bit of a stretch.
Favorite Picture: S is for Simon Bolivar
Favorite line: On E is for Emigrants . . . They came to America because this country stood for Freedom.
Kid-friendly today? Meh . . . some of the historical summaries are great. But other parts like referring to Native Americans as redskins, or listing Christmas (X is for Xmas) seem a bit of a stretch.
October 14, 2023
A book that goes through the letters of the alphabet. On each page the authors picked a word that goes with the letter of the alphabet and talked about something having to do with the United States. I learned that Henry Hudson and his son were left stranded on a boat after a mutiny and never seen again. Also, this book is so old that Alaska and Hawaii were not states yet.
March 8, 2015
This is racist and just soooo offensive.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews