The Star-Spangled Banner

by Peter Spier

A book for every patriotic American kid! 

Never before has the riveting American saga of "The Star-Spangled Banner" been so beautifully and thoroughly presented. This info-packed story of our national anthem includes:

★ Illustrated lyrics
★ The fascinating history of the War of 1812 and the battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the words
★ Musical notation
★ Historical images
★ A reproduction of Key's original manuscript

Caldecott Medalist Peter Spier's magnificent tribute takes readers from our anthem's turbulent origins at the Battle of Baltimore through the flag's significance in modern-day America. It's a must-have for every American family's library.

★ A Bank Street Book of the Year
★ An  American Bookseller  Pick of the Lists

"Spier . . . is one of our finest creators of children's books alive."— The New York Times Book Review

"Beautifully illustrated by the award-winning artist."— Publishers Weekly

Genres: Picture Books, History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Music, American History, 2nd Grade

56 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Peter Spier has established himself as one of the most gifted illustrators in this county. His Noah's Ark was the 1978 Caldecott Award winner, while The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night was a Caldecott Honor book in 1962. The firs two books in his widely acclaimed Mother Goose Library, London Bridge Is Falling Down! and To Market! To Market! were winner and runner-up respectively for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. The Erie Canal and Noah's Ark both won Christopher Awards, while Gobble, Growl, Grunt received Honorable Mention in the first Children's Science Book Award program, sponsored by the New York Academy of Science.

Born and educated in Amsterdam, Mr. Spier came to New York in 1952 after serving in the Royal Dutch Navy and working for a number of years as a reporter for Elsevier's Weekly, Holland's largest magazine. He has illustrated over a hundred books and has contributed a series of murals to the H. F. Du Pont Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Award-winning children's-book author/illustrator Peter Spier turns his attention to the creation of the American national anthem in this informative and engaging picture-book. Composed by Francis Scott Key in 1814, as he witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, during the War of 1812, the song celebrates the continued presence and waving of the American flag, indicating that the fort had not fallen to the enemy. Spier uses the first, second and fourth verses of the song as his main text, pairing the famous words with illustrations both historical and contemporary. His extensive afterword gives the story of the song's composition - it was originally a poem entitled "The Bombardment of Fort McHenry" - and of the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore. The musical notation accompanying the lyrics is also presented at the rear, along with a history of the flag flown during that fateful twenty-four hours...

An excellent introduction to the eponymous song and to the War of 1812, The Star-Spangled Banner was originally published in 1973, and then in this new edition in 2014. The text (as could be expected) holds no surprises, and is beautifully matched to the artwork. I particularly liked the two-page spread depicting all the places of worship, although the illustrated end-papers, which show both the evolution of the American flag and the many other flags used by various governmental personnel and military branches, were also lovely. I think Spier's choice to leave out the third verse (which speaks of the defeat and death of the enemy) was well made, given that this is a children's book, and a celebratory one. One wonders how he would have illustrated a line like "Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution," if he had not made this choice. The full version is presented at the back, so no relevant information has been omitted, from a historical and informational perspective. Although not explicitly about the 4th of July, this would make an excellent selection for this time of year, and is one I would recommend to anyone seeking children's books addressing the American national anthem and its history.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been quite a while since I’ve song the The Star-Spangled Banner. So long, in fact, I’d forgotten many of the lyrics. I hadn’t remembered there being four stanzas to the song.

The Star-Spangled Banner is an important read for all ages and the illustrations matched the lyrics of the song.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread for Flag Day 2020

[Kristin Nare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book to share with my 2 and 3 year old sons. A great tool to pass the love and respect I have for my flag and country on to the next generation, and to start sharing the great stories of America's past conflicts and history.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strains of America's National Anthem are no doubt familiar to most American children, but this patriotic tribute by Peter Spier provides compelling visual interpretations for the song. Alternating between well-researched historical vignettes and modern American scenes, Spier illustrates verses one, three, and four of our anthem, line by line. An afterword includes a historic description of the events leading up to our National Anthem's writing, with photo of the original manuscript penned by Francis Scott Key, a map of the Battle of Baltimore, and a musical score with all four verses.

As in Spier's other books, attention to detail makes this an exceptional read, providing plenty of visual interest for readers and non-readers alike; and each scene is infused with a refreshing patriotic vigor. The fact that Spier himself became an American citizen later in life gives him a fresh perspective that those who grow up on its soil can learn from. By juxtaposing history with modern experience, he connects the reader's experience with the generations of citizens who laid the foundation for the modern American way of life.

This book is an excellent companion to Spier's similar volume, We the People, which is a tribute to the American Constitution. It's best suited for elementary ages.

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good a poem as a song.

[Saffron Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is for the edition illustrated by Peter Spier.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top-notch illustrations, reflecting true America.

The third verse of our National Anthem is not illustrated but included with the music at the end of the book:

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

[Lidija]

Borrowed from the National Emergency Archive Library in an electronic format. This would be a good book to add to our home collection.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice but even though I know the song, I am unable to sing the other verses.

[Tymon · Rating 4 out of 5]

niezwykła ilość patriotyzmu w każdym słowie 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🦅🦅🦅🦅

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In honor of Independence Day this coming weekend. Should've also gotten America the Beautiful, America (my country tis of thee) and God Bless America from the same series too. Brightly and beautifully illustrated lyrics of the first verse. My son's favorite part was that the piano music (melody only) was in the back that I could play on the piano while singing. There are 2 other verses shown which embarrassingly I was unaware of and a good description of the circumstances that Key wrote the song under. I wish there was a little more information about why the flag is/was the way it is/was (15 stars at the time, etc.), but I guess I'll have to find another book for that.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interest Level: K-5
Lexile Reading Level: 440L

Key's Star-Spangled Banner is the perfect book to read aloud when teaching students about Independence Day. The main purpose of this story is retelling the national anthem and incorporating illustrations that appeal to young readers, but I also loved that each page included a side note about a very important detail in American history. However, I would not recommend this book to a beginning reader because there are many difficult words like gallantly, perilous, vauntingly, havoc, triumph, and desolation.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Child-friendly illustrations to our national anthem. This picture-book is not only kid-friendly, but grown-up friendly too - with historical information on the sides of each page. A colorful and fun way to introduce the national anthem as well as learn/refresh on some of our nation's history.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"a story of the original composition
"

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"a story of the original composition
"

[Robin Raines-Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright, beautiful illustrations that sing the story of our National Anthem very nicely. I enjoyed the information at the end of the book too.

[Cara Noles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Star-Spangled Banner starts off with the song written out. Pictures go along with the text about how America fought wars for their independence. The song is by Francis Scott Key. At the end of the book it has more facts about how the song came together and the meaning of our flag.

I enjoyed this book and the key element of the flag on each page. I think we are so used to singing the song and do not actually take time and read and digest the words. I loved how the vibrant pictures took up most of the page leaving the words at the bottom. I liked how at the end of the book was more detailed facts and a picture of the original song written out.

I would defiantly use this in the classroom when talking about American history. I would read the book a couple times, so the students get a feeling for what the song means. I would also explain how the flag has not always looked the way it does today, and explain the meaning of 50 stars and 13 stripes. I would have students draw one of America's past flags or the current flag and write a couple facts that they learned down.

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a children’s librarian for 35 years before retiring, and I attended library school in the pre-Internet era. During my time there, I actually did a report on Peter Spier for a class in the study of illustration of children’s books. I love his very detailed artwork, though it is not as effective for a large group storytime as it would be for a parent to read to their own children. At the beginning of my career, he was still pretty hot, although of course he is not as popular nowadays. The fascinating thing about this specific book is that it was created by a Dutch man. I think it is simply gorgeous, and it also seems noteworthy to point out that most of us don’t know more than the first verse of the song, yet the Dutch Spier illustrated 3 verses. I always enjoyed patriotic picture books like this one, although nowadays people tend to take any sort of patriotic storytime as being a political statement, though that was usually not the case. I enjoyed reading this in my retirement though.

[Ali Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book is a great way to introduce younger elementary students to the National Anthem. The book outlines three verses and includes detailed illustrations that go along with each line. I imagine myself using this in Kindergarten through second grade classrooms as a way to either introduce my students to the Star Spangled Banner, or to help my students develop a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the lyrics.
I really like how this book outlines three verses (I hadn't ever looked at the second and third verses until I picked up this book), and I think students would enjoy looking through the pictures and seeing the lyrics written out in front of them.
I think this would be a great book to read anytime, but especially surrounding Veteran's Day and President's Day, along with any other patriotic events that happen throughout the year.

[Bill Stutzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me in a good way. It's not the story of the American flag (at least initially), but an illustrated, line-by-line recitation of the national anthem. But it doesn't stop with the verse we know; it includes three additional verses from the original. Not only that, but there is great material at the back of the book that tells the history of the song, its occasion and writing, its reception, and more. In that sense, the story one expected at the beginning is eventually told, but the poetry is up front and speaks for itself. Throw in some wonderfully illustrated flag history in the front and back covers, and you have a book that invites return visits, even for something so familiar.

[Maddi Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for the primary grades, first through second grade. I would categorize it as informational nonfiction.

This book looks like it has a lot of pages, but there aren’t many words on each page. This is great for students so that they don’t feel overwhelmed! It states the actual Star Spangled Banner, and has beautiful pictures to accompany it. I would also play the Star Spangled Banner over the speakers so that the students could hear it as well. We would listen to it at least every day of the week to try to remember the words. We would reread the book the last day of the week, and see if we can predict what the upcoming pages will read.

[Elizabeth Mayberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly just learned while reading this book out loud to my kids that there were more verses in the Star-Spangled Banner. "And the hoooome of the Braaavee!" is not the ending! Just like a good Hymn, there are verses we don't often sing but are still packed with beautiful imagery and depth. The illustrations are what makes this book so special, each page with only a line or two of the song and so much said through the artwork. I also learned about when the song was written (I assumed it was during the Revolutionary war but that's wrong!) so it was a learning experience for both me and my children! Great book that we will read every 4th of July!

[Jennifer Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely children's book! There are beautiful illustrations set to the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner, with pictures of flags and with the full story of how the song came to be at the end. I always really enjoyed teaching a patriotic unit to scouts and will be doing something similar with a "patriotic pizza party" for an activity day with my church kids. The timing of my discovering this was also cool--I get to visit Washington D.C. again over the 4th of July and I recognized many of familiar places in the illustrations. Glad I discovered this little gem!

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Try as I might, I cannot get my children interested in Peter Spier books. We've tried a number of them, I even got the edition with the cd to add some excitement as we learned about the National Anthem. I'm not sure what is! But, I open the book, my kids' eyes gloss over and then their eyes wander around the room.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Iove the way Spier illustrates the words of the National Anthem, and puts it in perspective with both the War of 1812 and modern times. The write up in the back gave historical information on the war and how it began, and what was accomplished by it. (Spoiler: not much, except to get our National Anthem)

[John Benzing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has beautiful illustrations—they are really paintings—of what Key was seeing that became the inspiration for the song. It will be easy to re-read and for kids to remember it’s content.
A sad note is that the book is in excellent shape but the second of such patriotic books that I’ve recently bought that were discarded by public libraries.

[Annelise Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Peter Spier’s books. As a child, my siblings and I could look at the pictures in “People” for hours and awe over the different amazing cultures of the world. I absolutely loved this book just as much. The pictures help bring meaning to the words of the National Anthem in a way that young children can understand.

[Beyondthebookends · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated version of the famous song. Warning, it does show battle scenes from the American Revolution, but they are tasteful, not gruesome. 

Check out 11 other patriotic books at https://www.beyondthebookends.com/201...

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

WONDERFUL illustrations of our national anthem. The first page includes illustrations of all the US flags through history. The back includes an account of Francis Scott Key's story. Finally, music to the song is included. A perfect picture book for the Star-Spangled Banner!