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hugbandit7's review
5.0
Don't be fooled into thinking this is a picture book meant for young children or toddlers. This book is perfect for elementary school children (or older) and teaches the reader about the author of a poem set to music that we know as "America The Beautiful."
I have sung this song many times in my life and never thought much about the words or the author that penned them. However, after reading this book, I was intrigued by Katharine's life and how she came to write this poem that became a sort of national anthem for the United States. It isn't the official one, but reading the words felt like it described our country and its people. The poem went through several revisions before it became the one we know today. I could picture her crossing the country and observing the "amber waves of grain" and "purple mountain majesties" that inspired her words. The original poem was written 127 years ago and the USA was a different country then, but we can still see some of what Katharine saw all those years ago.
The illustrations really brought the words of this poem to life. There is an illustration of Niagara Falls and I felt like I could feel the water and dip my hands into the blue water. Side note, make sure if you read the eBook version to have a table or color e-Reader to view the book. An e-Ink reader will not do the illustrations justice.
Outside of her achievement with this poem, Katharine was quite a remarkable woman. She helped fight for women's rights, especially the right to vote. She believed that women could do anything that men could do and encouraged education for all.
This book captures some of our history that might be lost and the format is perfect for anyone to read and whet their appetite for more about Katharine or anyone else that helped shape our country. We give this book 5 paws up.
I have sung this song many times in my life and never thought much about the words or the author that penned them. However, after reading this book, I was intrigued by Katharine's life and how she came to write this poem that became a sort of national anthem for the United States. It isn't the official one, but reading the words felt like it described our country and its people. The poem went through several revisions before it became the one we know today. I could picture her crossing the country and observing the "amber waves of grain" and "purple mountain majesties" that inspired her words. The original poem was written 127 years ago and the USA was a different country then, but we can still see some of what Katharine saw all those years ago.
The illustrations really brought the words of this poem to life. There is an illustration of Niagara Falls and I felt like I could feel the water and dip my hands into the blue water. Side note, make sure if you read the eBook version to have a table or color e-Reader to view the book. An e-Ink reader will not do the illustrations justice.
Outside of her achievement with this poem, Katharine was quite a remarkable woman. She helped fight for women's rights, especially the right to vote. She believed that women could do anything that men could do and encouraged education for all.
This book captures some of our history that might be lost and the format is perfect for anyone to read and whet their appetite for more about Katharine or anyone else that helped shape our country. We give this book 5 paws up.
panda_incognito's review
4.0
This gorgeously illustrated picture book shares about the origins of the song "America the Beautiful," and is a great introductory glimpse into Katharine Lee Bates's life and time period. This book is very educational, and I learned a lot about her that I had never heard before. She was a boundary-breaking female scholar and professor, and this book shares about her accomplishments in fields beyond the poetic writing that she is famous for.
I found this book very interesting, and enjoyed poring over the colorful, radiant illustrations. Everything about this book works very well, and it has a positive message about deeply loving one's country while also wanting to right its wrongs. This is a great book for both children and adults, and I highly recommend it.
I found this book very interesting, and enjoyed poring over the colorful, radiant illustrations. Everything about this book works very well, and it has a positive message about deeply loving one's country while also wanting to right its wrongs. This is a great book for both children and adults, and I highly recommend it.
mldavisreads's review against another edition
5.0
Picture Book Biography. I have heard the song "America the Beautiful" many times but never really thought about it's origin. It was first written in 1895, though it was revised several times before being put to music in 1910. The book illustrates the inspirations for some of the lyrics, including the amber waves of grain in Kansas and the purple mountain majesty in Colorado. There is no art note on the methods used, but the illustrations are full and vivid illustrations of the time. In addition to penning the song, Bates was also a feminist, suffragist, professor, and immigrant rights activist. This is a beautiful tribute to a person whose work is still celebrated today.
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