States And Capitals

States And Capitals

Juvenile non fiction
"I'm snappy, happy, and totally crabby--crab-crazy in fact. I
fish out these clawed critters, sprinkle 'em with Old Bay, and even
crown a Miss Crustacean every year."
Are your memories of learning about the states a little less
than fond? In second grade I had to memorize capitals, major products,
and other information I'd never use in real life and give a report
with a hand made map. Other than not having to memorize, not much had
changed by the time my kids got to primary school.
This is really too bad. States are unique, quirky, and
interesting.
Dan Green's States And Capitals: United We Stand gives a taste
of the rich geographic and cultural diversity our melting pot nation
serves up. Each state and territory gets a two page spread featuring
a personafied map incorporating information (Missouri holds an ice
cream cone), an inset showing its place in the nation, a sparkly
introduction (Maryland is quoted above), and a sizeable helping of
information in both traditional and interesting formats.
Whether a family vacation is on the horizon, a book a child
reads is set in a different state, or curiosity sets in, States And
Capitals is a fine and reasonably priced investment for home, school,
or public library.
On a personal note, back in second grade I was a victim of my own
success. I added three dimensional products like toothpick oil rigs
to my Texas map. As a reward for my innovation I was assigned one of
the left over states there weren't enough kids in the class to cover.
A great big shout out goes out to teachers who can overcome curriculum
standardization to create actual interest in the states.
jules hathaway


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