The CHILDREN'S BOOK OF AMERICA :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

American history

2007-12-31
We purchased this book to introduce a 6 yr old to American history, and we found it to be a good beginning for that. However, the editing by Simon & Schuster leaves much to be desired. The Contents page is erroneously numbered. This is frustrating to a child or even an adult trying to locate the proper page per topic. Hopefully the error will be corrected in future editions.
Despite the problem, I would recommend purchasing this book.

America Tales to Inspire your children

2007-03-11
We just finished reading The Children's Book of America which is edited by William J. Bennett and illustrated by Michael Hague. If you are proud of America and the accomplishments of the people and events that built this great country, you will love this book!

As we read through the stories, I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat and feel a sense of pride in our heritage. I am not implying we are better than any other country, but I am proud to be a part of the country we live in. These stories are written in easy to follow language for children. The stories are full of adventure, hope, persistence, bravery, and history. The illustrations help to bring the stories to life. Here is a list of the stories you will find in this book:

"America the Beautiful," Katharine Lee Bates
The Legend of the Grand Canyon
The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving
Father Junipero Serra
The Bravery of Abigail Adams
"Yankee Doodle"
Westward with Lewis and Clark
Paul Bunyan
The Story of "The Star Spangled Banner"
Johnny Appleseed
Abe Lincoln's School Days
"The Erie Canal"
Remember the Alamo!
"I Hear America Singing" Walt Whitman
The Tale of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
Robert E. Lee and the Wounded Soldier
Magaret of New Orleans
"Home on the Range"
John Henry and the Steam Drill
"The New Colossus," Emma Lazarus
The Wizard of Menlo Park
Martin Luther King's Dream
The Eagle Has Landed
"America," Samuel Francis Smith

Excellent book!

2006-11-10
This is an excellent book. My children loved the stories and the illustrations were top-notch. This book would be a great supplement to any US History curriculum.

Wonderful book--should be read by every child

2005-11-25
Wonderfully written stories of Johnny Appleseed, Lewis & Clark, John Henry, etc. My children and fascinated by them, and frankly, so I am. I look forward to reading A Children's Book of Heroes by Bennett.

While perusing the comments, I noticed that some people accused William Bennett of being a racist. One must look at the context in which he made his statement. When the argument was made by a caller to a radio talk show that crime is down because abortion is up (theorizing that most aborted babies were from low income families) Bennett countered with, " But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."
What could possibly be racist about this statement? I find it morally reprehensible that people would accuse anyone of being a rascist without first exploring the facts.

Do Not Buy

2005-11-01
I was just about to a couple of his books as Christmas presents. I did not realize he was the person who commented that aborting every black baby would reduce the crime rate. There is no way I would buy anything written by this person.

A Children's Book from a Racist!

2005-09-30
Where did America come from? What does it mean to be an American? What makes America great? No volume will provide more compelling and inspiring answers to our children's questions than William Bennett's marvelous new treasury, The Children's Book of America. Filled with history and folktales, songs and poems, heroes and everyday Americans, this indispensable audiobook is a classic collection of great Americana.

This lasting testament to our beloved country features performances by:

Elayne Bennett

Hinton Battle

John McMartin

Phylicia Rashad

The Children's Book of America is a marvelous celebration of our nation's history and spirit for the youngest Americans.

Featuring an Introduction by the Author and an All-Star Cast

America for Children, fine and fun about freedom 2005-06-10
It is a very fine book written for children. This means of course that it is not overly complex, but is straightforward and fun. It would be very silly to write a book for kids and get too deep. It would be very wrong to dwell overly much on the bad and not balance it with the overwhelming good about our nation. If you are looking for some kind of wacky politcal agenda here, as some might prefer, you will not find it. This is a nice introduction to the story of America. Children of all ages will enjoy it.

Wonderful portrait of America's principles 2004-01-25
Bill Bennett again has created a compilation of intrigueing stories that will stimulate young minds and provide a foundation for children to begin to appreciate what it means to be an American. Parents who have ultra-liberal views that America is basically a sexist, racist, homophobic, corrupt, sinister empire should pick another selection. Parents who believe that America is a wonderful place that is the beacon for liberty, freedom and justice, who may have made some mistakes along the way would be well served to provide this valuable educational tool to their children.

Bennett is part of what is wrong with America 2002-11-25
This book comes nowhere close to living up to the claim that "no volume will provide more compelling and inspiring answers to our children's questions" about what it means to be an American. It is important to remember that while we might be tempted to buy into the kind of simplistic view Bennett presents in The Children's Book of America, what America was and is and who the people are who have lived and are living here are far more complex than he seems capable of conceiving. His stereotypic images might resonate with some people who long for simplicity and the "good ol' days" that never really were, but telling a story the way one wants to does not make it so, ignoring things one doesn't understand doesn't make them go away, and buying into ignorance is never a good idea. His sanitized vision of America should offend our sensibilities in light of the reality many of us live, and represents the co-opting of our children's education and future for the perpetuation of a grossly unequal and unjust status quo. Rather than serving up the pablum offered to our children by Bennett, we need to help them understand and critique the society in which they live, and prepare them for the kind of participatory democracy that can bring about the kind of social justice and egalitarian society that will permit each of us to live a bit of the American dream. We need to develop more critical and democratic thought than that evidenced by a BarnesandNoble.com customer-reviewer whose attempt at critique concludes,
"The unintentional irony of juxtaposing Martin Luther King's 'dream' speech with blatantly racist folksongs is typical of Bennett's charmingly naive and confused view of morality and virtue. The inclusion of songs and stories promoting racial harmony appears to have been driven by a simple-minded sense of political correctness. But Bennett nonetheless succeeds in providing the children of America with a much needed lesson in patriotism and morality. God knows that the public has completely lost their sense of morality. Thank you, Mr. Bennett, for teaching my children what is good and virtuous." This is part of what is wrong with America.

Great Way to Introduce Young Readers To America 2000-04-25
I really liked this book, and so did my children.

Bennett has taken familiar vingettes (Pilgrims, Paul Bunyon, Johnny Apple Seed, Martin Luther King, Jr., moon walk, etc.) and presented them in a short form that is perfect for four to seven year olds and above.

Each story teaches lessons based on core values and can lead to good discussions with children in trying to explain the underlying values. The tales are also a wonderful introduction to the story of our country through our history and myths. They cover the range of the American Experience and are exactly the kind of tales that can serve as a launching pad to introduce youngsters to a wider exploration of our national heritage.

The stories themselves are well written and captivating (though my four year old's attention wandered with some -- it is for older than pre-school on the whole). The illustrations are first rate and help younger children understand the written story.

The format is perfect for bedtime stories -- good length for a one story a night reading. It is also one you'll want to return to again.