2023 - In search of good homeschool books for my grandies.

Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America by Lynne Cheney (2006 1st ed.) 74 pages. Given to Hodge boys for homeschooling.

Two kids are on vacation with their parents. And as they travel around the U.S., they periodically write little notes to their grandparents of all the things they are doing.

This adventure begins in Massachusetts where the pilgrims landed and meanders up and down all across the U.S., through each state, finally to Alaska and ending at Hawaii.

A United States map is included with a Start and End line so you can keep track and children can learn where the states are located.

The Table of Contents list each state by order travelled in the book. This book is oversized. A state per page is depicted, and there’s a LOT packed onto each page. It’s full of tidbits of historical information about each state, from the year of statehood, state mottos, birds and flowers (but, I don’t see the state flag for each state), to national parks and museums, and many historical and odd facts and dates pertaining to each state. Each fact has it’s own fun artwork.

I would consider this book a descent choice for those homeschooling their children. But, I would NOT consider this a book to just sit down and read with your kid. Yawn! Yawn! Yawn! It’s just too much.

Break it up. Maybe pick an interesting fact, then research more into it. Look up photos of people or images of a certain place online. If you are traveling, I would look on each states page to see if there’s a place of interest to stop and see.

This book isn’t by any means all inconclusive. Some facts are written with the assumption that you or your kid do know “something” about basic history of the U.S. If not, then you’ll have to do a little more research.

For example on p. 12, for the State of Massachusetts, are the words: “The Hail to the Sunrise statue honors Indian nations” and a drawing of an Indian statue. A search engine brought up this website of Charlemont, Massachusetts, and a photo of the statue:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hail-to-the-sunrise-statue

From there, you could learn more facts. Maybe look up each state’s flag as you go too, since it’s not included in the book.

I think this could be a good beginner’s learning tool to add to your library, but I wouldn’t rely heavily on it.

3.5 stars rounded up ( )

973

This is a picture book that was inspired by a cross country trip that the author took. It is not easy to read and presents to much information on one page. It does provide a good summary of each state. There is however, no clear narrative or writing style. Each interesting fact is scattered throughout the page. This book could influence a lesson about United States geography. The content is limited and not focused. Depth is lacking. I would have this in the classroom but this book would be a leisure read. I do not see a method to incorporate this book into meaningful classroom instruction. ( )

This non-fiction, picture book is based on the 50 states in North America. The story is about a family who goes on a roadtrip all over the United States. Each page is dedicated to a state. The book is not a normal book. The pages are just filled with facts and pictures to match each fact. A teacher would not be able to read this book to her students. ( )