Discover America: From Sea to Shining Sea

I love these kind of books! The words are the first verse of America the Beautiful, written by Katharine Lee Bates and the pictures show different places throughout the United States, from the beach, to the Kansas corn fields, to Amish country, ending at The Statue of Liberty. I read through this a couple of times with my children. We sang the words the first time, and then we looked at and discussed the illustrations, using the map in the back which shows the state and location of each picture. There are lots of places that can be included in a book like this and I like the places Julie Olson used in her book.

I also went to the website for this book, DiscoverAmericaBook.com, and got some ideas for other activities we can do. She has videos, quizzes and lesson plans. You can also send a virtual balloon to friends or family, who can also send it on and you can track its progress. There's a lot of great information so be sure to visit!

This is a book I am excited to add to my collection and it will be looked at over and over and cherished for many years to come!

Olson does a really nice job illustrating this classic song that is one of my favorites. I especially enjoyed the balloon motif which connects all the children in all the illustrations to each other. The map at the end which shows all the different locations which the illustrator included was greatly appreciated by me, I like knowing where things are. This book provides a sweet and beautiful way to introduce children to many different places and people that exist in the United States of America. It's also a powerful reminder of the many sacrifices that have been made to help our country survive. I also appreciated the inclusion of a Muslim woman and the Amish, as well as boys and girls of all shapes, sizes, and colors. A book that celebrates the best that America has to offer.

Discover America is fun book for children where Olson has illustrated scenes to go with the song America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates.

In the book we see a little boy purchase a red balloon on the west coast of the United States and watch as it travels across America and eventually is caught by a little girl in New York.

I read the book to my little girls and they loved finding the red balloon on each page and pointed out the details that they saw. Because the words are simple, it's fun to just look at the beautiful illustrations created by Julie Olson and to see different parts of the United States.

A boy and his father send a balloon into the sky.
As the balloon travels from "sea to shining sea" children from all over the country spot it.

The text in the book is the song "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL".

Simple yet Profound!
BEAUTIFUL IMAGERY!
It will touch your heart and make you proud of America!

PERFECT for the whole family!
Send your own balloon off through the interactive link in the book!

I love this book! I've always loved the poem "America the Beautiful" by Katharine Lee Bates, and this book is a perfect fit. The illustrations are beautiful and so well done. The side story of the red balloon floating across the country is so fun, and it was fun to see that I have been to a few of the landmarks. The website that corresponds to the book is a great resource full of coloring pages, information, quizzes, lesson plans, and so much more. I highly recommend this book for use in home, school, and everywhere in between. It's definitely going to be a new favorite at my house! You may read my full review on my book blog:
the-readathon.blogspot.com.

This is the most adorable book! As I read it and savored each of the gorgeous illustrations, I couldn't help remembering some of my own experiences visiting a few of these same places--some of America's greatest treasures. (And thanks to this book, I've added a couple more to my bucket list.) The book itself is gorgeous, and a fun, simple idea. It reminds me of how much I love this country and all it's beauty. What a great idea to have a website that goes along with it, providing all the "behind the scenes" information that's so fun to know. I loved reading about the genesis of the story and watching the video of the artist at work. Overall, I couldn't be more impressed this book!