The Flag We Love

by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Ralph Masiello (Illustrator)

Overview

This spirited tribute to Old Glory will inspire readers, young and old, to take a new look at the greatest emblem of the United States of America. With patriotic verse and historical facts, THE FLAG WE LOVE explores how our flag has become an enduring part of our nation's proud history and heritage. From its earliest designs to its role in peace-time and war, the Star-Spangled Banner will take on a whole new meaning for all readers.

The bold, rich illustrations by Ralph Masiello highlight significant points in history, as well as commonplace moments of American life, when our flag symbolizes the people and ideals of the United States of America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780881068443
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	07/01/2000
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	617,804
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.09(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Pam Muñoz Ryan is a native of California. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees at San Diego State University and she worked as a bilingual teacher and an early childhood administrator before dedicating herself full-time to writing. She wrote her first book at the age of 32 at the encouragement of a friend. She has written many picture books for young children and novels for older students. Pam lives in California with her husband and four children. She often speaks at schools and conferences about writing and literacy.

Editorial Reviews

Strike up the band and prepare to salute-this patriotic picture book unabashedly celebrates the Stars and Stripes. In a series of earnest verses, Ryan (One Hundred Is a Family) introduces young readers to our national symbol and the ideals for which it stands ("Americans stand together/ Before ceremonies start/ And promise their allegiance/ With their hands across their hearts"), while prose insets offer historical tidbits in a sidebar format. The book's clean, airy layout contrasts with Masiello's (The Extinct Alphabet Book) intense, sometimes murkily-hued oil paintings, which echo Ryan's text in their solemnity and fervor. Nonetheless, the result should delight Yankee Doodle dandies everywhere, and could help spark discussion on the basic elements of democracy. All ages. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 1-6-A poetical history of the U.S. flag. Each double-page spread features a four-line, rhymed verse of mediocre quality and a box of well- and little-known trivia on the left, and a full-page painting on the right. The stronger illustrations include such moving scenes as the train carrying Lincoln's coffin, the Vietnam War Memorial, and an astronaut walking on the moon with a U.S. flag reflected in his visor. Other pictures are less effective-the ill-proportioned, misshapen hands on several figures are distracting. Overall, however, the bold, detailed paintings in muted colors help to emphasize the patriotic theme. An additional purchase.-Eunice Weech, M. L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL

School Library Journal

Parallel texts (celebratory verse above, boxed historical information below) and burnished oil paintings combine in this paean to the American flag. The awkward verse ("The many connotations/For which our banner stands/Reflect our country's best intentions/And the people of this land") adds little to the effort, and although the boxed text correctly states that no one knows who made the very first Stars and Stripes, both poem and illustration (which shows the needlework of a lefthanded seamstress) tend to perpetuate the Betsy Ross legend. Another oddity: In the spread depicting the use of the flag at sporting events, the athlete shown is almost certainly Jesse Owens, yet his name and the significance of his Olympic victory are not mentioned.

The book is chiefly interesting for its depiction of the many ways in which the flag is used, e.g., to denote government buildings and official ports of entry, to mark the visits of explorers to remote regions, to memorialize fallen heroes, and to symbolize solidarity in parades and protest marches.

Kirkus Reviews