From Sea to Shining Sea

Today of all days is for celebrating America and what makes us American.  This collection of American Folklore and Folk Songs is the perfect way to celebrate this countries essence.  It contains over 140 stories, songs, poems and more, as well as over 300 illustrations by eleven Caldecott Medal winner and four Caldecott Honor artists.  The illustrations are wonderful.  This book (which is unfortunately out of print, but perhaps available at your local library or used books store) does an amazing job of taking the reader through the history of this great country.  It starts with Native American folklore, continues with the Pilgrims, the Revolutionary War, westward expansion, slavery, and much more as it moves from the beginning of this country to the present(ish)--it was published in 1993, but doesn't cover much past the 70s.  It also visits fun and humorous folktales, ghost stories, the great American sport of baseball and more.  There are a handful of familiar tales and songs, at least to me, but the majority of it was new to me.  It is over 400 pages long and contains tons of wonderful depictions of our history and culture.  Enjoy and have a Happy 4th.  Happy reading!