Product Description

Preheat the world until fiery hot with a hunger and thirst to be free. Now find a giant melting pot on the shores of a great shining sea.

From the bestselling author of Bear Snores On comes a remarkable recipe for America.

Including a dash of purple mountain majesties, cupfuls of courage, and a pinch of liberty, this beautifully illustrated combination of ingredients yields an irresistible treat that promises plenty of servings for children everywhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343191 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689865060
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5–Wilson serves up a celebration of our country, its founders, and the immigrants who built it with this rhyming recipe. With frequent references to America the Beautiful, the tribute includes tangible geographic ingredients such as fruited plains, fields/of amber grains, and purple mountain majesties. Less-tangible fixings include meekness, might, courage, liberty, justice, freedom, dreams, forgiveness, and customs/from faraway lands. As the bakers add these essentials, the larger-than-life pie rises in its cast-iron melting pot. While the rhymes are clever, they are also saccharine: The secret ingredients/cannot be bought,/so borrow/from Heaven above./The key to it all/is to pour in the pot/plenty of/faith, hope, and love. Colón's signature cross-hatched ink-and-watercolor illustrations, both sunny and whimsical, are the key ingredient in this otherwise syrupy dish. An amiable cat and dog sporting chefs' hats first preheat the world–a giant globe over a campfire–and then consult a cookbook, roasting wieners while they wait. A huge rolling pin flattens fields where giant apples, pears, and berries dwarf two grazing cows. Immigrants in period costume, suitcases and American flags in hand, free fall into a safety net guarded by the furry bakers. Observant readers will spy the strategically placed American symbols including the bald eagle, Statue of Liberty, White House, Mount Rushmore, and Columbus's ships. Kelly DiPucchio's Liberty's Journey (Hyperion, 2004), which features striking art by Richard Egielski, covers similar ground with less sentimentality. Use this title to introduce immigration units.–Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Fans of Colon's elegant artwork will be surprised and delighted to find that he has taken his pictures to a place of whimsy that will have immediate appeal for the youngest children. The vehicle for the art is a highly original one: a recipe for America, beginning with "Preheat the world until fiery hot with a hunger and thirst to be free." Wilson's instructions then include "pat out a crust of fruited plains," "measure out meekness and might," "spice with ideas seasoned with dreams," and "place in God's grace and allow to rise." Some artists might have chosen a more reverential approach, but Colon goes a different way. His cooks are a cat and a dog, and in these watercolor-and-ink paintings, the action rolls across the spreads in all sorts of fantastical ways. Purple mountain majesties grow out of teacups, and the cooks pull rainbows out of a sky studded with stars and stripes. In one delightfully evocative picture, immigrants of many countries (including a Pilgrim) fall from the sky, suitcases in hand. They land in a safety net held by the cat and dog. Kudos to the book's designer, whose use of white space and typeface enhance every aspect of the book. Pair this wild, wonderful celebration with The Glorious American Songbook (2005), a tribute to the U.S. in song, and Robert Sabuda's America the Beautiful (2004), a pop-up book for a slightly older crowd. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A Good Fourth of July Read
My kids love this book and are begging me to buy our own copy. (which is what I am doing) The reverend at the UU Church we attend read the story, and had the kids help act it out, as part of the service commemorating the 4th of July. It is a great book for remembering that we are all part of this land called America, and one that I will use in the classroom as well as here at home.

A good book, but for the older child
What I like best about Karma Wilson is her ability to cobble together great silliness and wonderful rhymes. This is not a silly book. It's a great book, but in my opinion, the text goes over the heads of the little ones who would sit on your lap enjoying the pictures (which are great!) but the pictures may keep the older, more appropriate audience at bay because they find the book too "baby-ish." If you're looking for a read aloud book with patriotic themes, this is a great book. If you're looking for some Karma Wilson silliness, I'd suggest trying her book Whopper Cake instead.

A Great American Pie
This is a clever rhyming book showing how all the wonderful things in America can be put together to make a pie. The illustratons are fabulous - a great work of art. When I finish reading this book, I have to stop and think about our country and how fortunate I am to live here. It would be good for all children to read to remind them in a fun way about their country.