July 2008

Dear Fellow Book Lovers:

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

In 1893, Katherine Lee Bates, a professor at Wellesley College, wrote the poem “America the Beautiful” and on July 4, 1895, she published it in the Congregationalist, a church journal. Soon the public began singing the poem to various folk tunes. After America began using the poem at patriotic functions, Ms. Bates felt the need to revise it. The last revision was in 1913. Today, “America the Beautiful” is sung almost as often as the national anthem. I would like to suggest that libraries use this song to kick off a summer road trip through books called “From Sea to Shining Sea.” Here are a few ways to introduce the program:

• Read aloud I Hear America Singing! (All ages) by Kathleen Krull; illustrated by Allen Garns. How does this book represent the essence of America in the same way as Bates’ poem?

• Display a map of the United States. Ask readers to explain the words “From Sea to Shining Sea.”

• Invite each person to put a push-pin in the state in which he/she was born. How many states are represented?

• Allow readers to identify the different states they have visited. What are the unique geographical features of each state?

• Encourage each patron to pick a state that he/she would like to visit. Have them gather information about the geography of the state by using books in the library or sites on the Internet.

Once introduced to the idea of traveling across America, ask young patrons to plan a route they might take. Instruct each person to find books that are set in each state on their route. Ask readers to make a travel itinerary that includes the title of each book they will be reading on their trip. The library will be filled with appropriate books for this program. A few from Random House include:

• Black-Eyed Susan (Ages 7-12) by Jennifer Armstrong
• Prizefighter en Mi Casa (Ages 10-12) by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo
• Lily's Crossing (Ages 8-12) by Patricia Reilly Giff
• Lisa in New York (Ages 5-8) by Anne Gutman; illustrated by Georg Hallensieben
• My Louisiana Sky (Ages 10 up) by Kimberly Willis Holt
• Hoot and Flush (Ages 10 up) by Carl Hiaasen
• Hattie Big Sky (Ages 10 up) by Kirby Larson
• Out of Patience (Ages 9-12) by Brian Meehl
• Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (Ages 8-12) by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb - coming soon!
• The Monument (Ages 10 up) by Gary Paulsen
• A Day No Pigs Would Die (Ages 12 up) and A Part of the Sky (Ages 10 up) by Robert Newton Peck
• Where the Red Fern Grows (Ages 8-12) by Wilson Rawls
• Blue Skin of the Sea (Ages 12 up), Night of the Howling Dogs (Ages 8-12), and Lord of the Deep (Ages 12 up) by Graham Salisbury
• Shane (Ages 12-up) by Jack Schaefer
• Apple Picking Time (Ages 5-8) by Jane Simmons; illustrated by Debra Kogan Ray
• Living Up the Street and A Summer Life (Ages 12 up) by Gary Soto
• Belle Prater's Boy, The Search for Belle Prater and Tadpole (Ages 10 up) by Ruth White

Encourage readers to keep a travel journal. After young patrons have completed their trip, sponsor a welcome home party. Ask readers to share their most exciting adventures. This, of course, includes highlights from the books read.

Happy traveling.

Note: How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A (Ages 5-8) by Marjorie Priceman will be available in the fall. This will be an excellent resource for a project like “From Sea to Shining Sea” in the future.

You may email me at pscales@bellsouth.net.

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