Indiana

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky and he is buried in Illinois, but the 16th President grew upon the Indiana frontier. Ann Heinrichs reminds her young readers of that fact in "A State Built on Traditions," the first chapter of this look at "Indiana" for the America the Beautiful, Second Series. This informative volume will indicate that almost every aspect of life has changed for the Hoosiers of Indiana, but will also emphasize how the state is still most farmland and its traditional values are still very much alive. Three chapters are devoted to the history of the state, beginning with Chapter Two, "Out of the Wilderness," which traces the region from the Mound Builders of the Mississippian culture that first settled the land to the territory becoming the 19th state following the last of the Indian Wars fought by General William Henry Harrison. Chapter Three, "Building the New State," looks at Indiana in the 19th century, while Chapter Four, "Into the Modern Age," covers the 20th century. The geography of the state is covered in Chapter Five, "Over the Hills and Plains," which divides the state into the Till Plains, the Great Lakes Plains, the Southern Hills and Lowlands. Some of what you can see when you visit the state is the subject of Chapter Six, "Exploring Indiana," such as "Touchdown Jesus" at Notre Dame, the restored pioneer village at Conner Prairie, the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, the Historic New Harmony utopian community, and Lincoln's restored boyhood home in Lincoln City. The politics of the state is explored in Chapter Seven, "Governing the Hoosier State," which is where young readers learn about the state river (Wabash River), which explains the state song ("On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"). Chapter Eight, "Hoosiers at Work" is about the state's economy, which sees farmers raising ostriches and llamas along with the corn, hogs and soybeans that dominate the agriculture. This book has what is probably the simplest recipe in the series with grilled corn on the cob. Chapter Nine, "People Who Make a Difference" looks at where people live and the state's colleges. Chapter Ten, "Arts and Sports," covers the famous citizens of the state, which includes David Letterman, John Mellencamp, Cole Porter, James Whitcomb Riley, and Larry Bird. Throughout the book there are dozens of informative sidebars where we get to find out about more famous Hoosiers, from Tecumseh to Mark Spitz, along with places to visit such as Wyandotte Cave and the Smoking Dune. You also get to find out why the Hoosiers are called Hoosiers. The book is filled with full-color photographs and original maps. When you get to the back of the book you will find a detailed Timeline comparing U.S. and Indiana state history, pages of Fast Facts that provide easy access to key statistics, and a list of books, organizations and Internet sites where young students can go To Find Out More.