BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bates, Katharine Lee. 2004. AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-08338-6.
REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is a
beautifully illustrated poetry picture book version of Katharine Lee Bates'
1893 poem, "America the Beautiful." The poem was later turned
into the famous American patriotic song that we are all so familiar with. Chris
Gall created the illustrations by using hand engraving on clay-covered board,
and then used a computer to adjust the colors and other elements. The result of
this combination is pictures that are detailed and beautiful. These full page
images perfectly correspond to the words that are listed on the adjacent page.
The page beside the refrain, "From sea to shining sea," Gall shows Sacajawea and her son traveling the Missouri River with Lewis and Clark. He also includes images from more recent events. The New York firemen of 9/11 are shown hoisting the flag at Ground Zero for "Who more than self their country loved/ And mercy more than life!" The wide range of images from different time periods in history that are included in the book show the timelessness of the poem and help to paint the full picture of what America embodies.
At the conclusion of the book there is an "About the Artwork" page which shows a small picture of each image included in the book. Next to each image is a description of what is seen in the artwork or an explanation of why it was used. These descriptions and explanations are helpful to the reader because they ensure that they fully understand the connection between the images and the words.
Teachers could use this book to teach the meaning of the words included in the poem. The teacher could display the words to the song on the board and have the students identify words in which they are unsure of the meaning. Then read the book America the Beautiful and show the students the pictures. Lead the class in a discussion about the pictures and how they relate to the words on the page. Discuss with them how the pictures in a book can help with comprehension of the story or poem. Next, look back at all the words and phrases that the class didn't understand and see if they now understand them after reading this poem picture book and having the class discussion.
This book is also great to use when learning about different areas of the United States. Many of the pictures feature a landmark or geographic feature from a specific place in the US. These places could be plotted on a map and students could be shown photographs of the actual landmark or geographic feature and learn about the area. Have any students visited these places or recognize them from a movie, book, or TV show? Does that background knowledge help them to understand the words in the poem?
The page beside the refrain, "From sea to shining sea," Gall shows Sacajawea and her son traveling the Missouri River with Lewis and Clark. He also includes images from more recent events. The New York firemen of 9/11 are shown hoisting the flag at Ground Zero for "Who more than self their country loved/ And mercy more than life!" The wide range of images from different time periods in history that are included in the book show the timelessness of the poem and help to paint the full picture of what America embodies.
At the conclusion of the book there is an "About the Artwork" page which shows a small picture of each image included in the book. Next to each image is a description of what is seen in the artwork or an explanation of why it was used. These descriptions and explanations are helpful to the reader because they ensure that they fully understand the connection between the images and the words.
Teachers could use this book to teach the meaning of the words included in the poem. The teacher could display the words to the song on the board and have the students identify words in which they are unsure of the meaning. Then read the book America the Beautiful and show the students the pictures. Lead the class in a discussion about the pictures and how they relate to the words on the page. Discuss with them how the pictures in a book can help with comprehension of the story or poem. Next, look back at all the words and phrases that the class didn't understand and see if they now understand them after reading this poem picture book and having the class discussion.
This book is also great to use when learning about different areas of the United States. Many of the pictures feature a landmark or geographic feature from a specific place in the US. These places could be plotted on a map and students could be shown photographs of the actual landmark or geographic feature and learn about the area. Have any students visited these places or recognize them from a movie, book, or TV show? Does that background knowledge help them to understand the words in the poem?
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