America: A Patriotic Primer

This book is boring. The stories should be exciting and inspiring, but they are more like a modern textbook. I bought it for my grandchildren but I never read it to them.

As I read America, A Patriotic Primer, I found myself wishing I could have a "do over" on instilling an interest in American history in my own children. I see that the book is written so that it can be read to a 4 year old or a 10 year old. There is as little or as much information as the age requires.I see that this book would evoke curiosity in children.I own a copy and will keep it handy for as yet unborn grandchildren. I think it is a fitting Grandmother's shelf volume to be read when they arrive.Ms. Glasser's illustrations are wonderfully interesting and beautifully showcased. I love that Mrs. Cheney used the alphabet to instill important concepts, institutions, and figures in our country's history. I appreciate that she gave fair attention to women, minorities, leaders, soldiers, patriots, founders, artists........when you start really reading the 'fine print' the list is quite impressive. The beauty of the book is that it can be read over and over with a little more 'noticed' and learned each time.I think this book should be available to every child in America. It is a book that will instill deeper understanding and ownership of our American heritage.

I have always associated Mrs. Cheney with conservative politics. I could not imagine her writing a book covering American history that I would not find distasteful for professing conservative philosophy. My liberal soul stood ready to detest whatever she wrote sight unseen. The first lesson I learned from "America: A Patriotic Primer" is that "T is for Tolerance", as I truly regret my liberal snobbery. This book should not be seen as authored by a conservative writer, but merely as one written by an American, one that truly loves America, American values, and America's promise through its children. Rightly, no political viewpoint is taken, other than professing the greatness of our history and the profundity of our ideals. This is a book best read with your child not as a story book from cover to cover, but rather savored in an unhurried fashion by jumping from place to place. I think it is best to let one of Ms. Glasser's wonderfully cheerful illustrations draw your child in, and then let the discussion go from there.This is a great first book on American history for any family with young children (whether that family leans "left" or "right") looking for a fun, informative, and simple approach to American patriotism.

First of all, I'm a teacher and I'd like to mentionthat the best alphabet books are ones with clear memorycues such as A is for apple, i. e. if you are using abook to teach the alphabet. Each picture gives a clear memory cue for the letter. We associate what we needto learn with something we already know. That's whatthe memory experts say! It works!I even have had great success by having parents createtheir own alphabet books by having their children cutpictures from magazines for each letter. It is a greatlearning experience and the children love to have theirown books! Taping pictures and having an adult printletters in a composition book works fine, or you can getmore fancy.The main goal of this book is NOT to teach the alphabet.The goal is to teach very young children an appreciationof US heritage. Notice, the ages are for 4-8. This bookis a great springboard for discussion, songs, and other books.My children and I appreciate the book very much. ...

... However, 5 stars it DOES deserve as an educational/resource book about prominent historical events, people, and American ideals that shaped our country. It is written in short/simplistic phrases; however, the back of the book has a reference quide which gives a little more detail for each section (i.e. short biographies or facts about dates and events). This is NOT a book to try to read at bedtime! It is not written in a "story" format. It is more a book to take your time with on an afternoon sitting down with your child and reviewing a few pages at a time....gazing at the pictures, talking with them in more detail about what each of the things means to America and the importance of it in our lives. It is more a book to use for educating and as a resource book for the "main" thing to know about a historical figure/event/or ideals that shaped America.I found the artwork to be "charming"! I found the pictures tobe bright and detailed! The pictures are not "big" and "bold" as you would prefer for younger ages (under age7). The pictures are small and detailed with many scenes on one page. The scenes include pictures of historical buildings (white house, statue of liberty, supreme court, etc), events (thanksgiving, civil war, etc), people (Lincoln, Washington, Martin Luther King Jr, etc). and ideals (voting, peaceful assembly, valor, tolerence, etc).In summary, this book is not a book to read at bedtime; however,you would like this book if you use books as an introduction to family discussions and are prepared to introduce more detailed information during the discussions....

I was skeptical of a "Patriotic Primer" written by Mrs. Cheney, but I have to say that this is a wonderful book for readers ages 4-8, especially. I think elementary school teachers, who are struggling to work history into their curriculum, will find this book to be a treasure-trove of information and stepping off points for classroom discussion and projects. I find it refreshing that a "celebrity" book is an informative history book. Whatever you think of Mrs. Cheney, you can't argue with her on the need for our children to be better educated on American history. This is a book that will enlighten young readers as well as their parents. The detailed research notes in the back were of particular interest to me as an adult reader, and my 5 year old daugher loved the exuberant illustrations. Put your politics aside...this is a book for all--young and old!