You’ve probably seen the state alphabet books by Sleeping Bear Press. I had seem them around but didn’t really understand the concept. Now that I’ve had a chance to browse a few, I think they are amazing and this is a great idea! While browsing these books, I kept thinking about my 2nd grade geography project in which I had to write up a whole report on the state of my choosing. If memory serves I choose Michigan. I’m not sure why (as I lived in Texas) but there you have it. I wish I had this book at the time. It’s all the research in one nice and handy little book. I can imagine a great many elementary school teachers being pleased as punch with these books. (If you are such a teacher and have read these books, please leave some of your thoughts below in the comment section!)
Basically these books go through the entire alphabet for each state. For example, there is an alphabet of things for our Nation’s Capital (A is for Angel of the Battlefield: Clara Barton, B is for Briar House, C is for cherry blossoms). Similarly, there is an alphabet devoted to the State of Texas. I love that D is for Dr. Pepper, having grown up on that liquid gold, being so devoted as to have gone to the official Dr. Pepper Museum. Yes, it’s true. I freely admit it!
I enjoyed these books. I learned the basics like state birds and state mottos. I also learned about famous U.S. leaders, such as where they were born and what they were most noted for doing. Do you know where to find the Petoskey stone or where the first soda pop was made in the United States? Which state did Juan Ponce de Leon explore and how do you pronounce Lake Okeechobee? Where is the deepest canyon (it might not be where you think!) in the U.S. and do you know how long the Columbia River Gorge is? All these things and more you can learn from these books.
It’s a great series and I heartily recommend them. At the very least you know that there is at least one book for you and the great state in which you live — as well as one for the Nation’s Capital. They are a great resource as well as just plain fun.
We know our readers live around the country. Where are you reading in from and what are some fun facts about your home state? We’d love to get to know you better! Thanks for checking in with us today sharing about who you are and the place you call home.
Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.
I’m reading from New Jersey, the Garden State. All many people see of New Jersey are the boring NJ Turnpike or the oil rigs in Elizabeth, visible when flying into Newark Airport. But there really are some nice (and green!) areas of the state. Corn, tomatoes and eggplant grow in abundance, and apparently our state fruit is the blueberry.
Many famous people were born in NJ, including Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicholson and John Travolta. President Nixon died in NJ, having lived here for the last several years of his life.
Inventions developed in NJ included the transistor, Jersey barriers (the large cement dividers on highways), the motion picture, light bulb
The street names in the game of Monopoly came from the streets of Atlantic City.
My lovely state also has the highest population density in the country. At least we have the lowest gas prices in the country too!
Oh and no one that lives here says Joisey!
I blurb from the Golden State, California. To be presise, I live in the southern part. What’s great about living in this area is, we have so many choices of climate:ocean, mountains, desert. Our winters are mild and nice. Too too cold, not too hot. We live very close to Los Angeles, where the stars are. LOL, that can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
The name California comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia that was featured in a Spanish romance (“Las Sergas de Esplandian”) written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510. The Spanish explorers originally thought that California was an island.
Our motto is, “Eureka! I have found it!”
We have ghost towns of the mining days, now some museums/attractions to visit.
Our flower is the California Poppy. 🙂
I live in West Virginia. Our state bird is the cardinal, and the state flower is the rhododendron. Those are beautiful flowers, especially in the mountains of our state. A few of the famous people from WV are Don Knotts, Kathy Mattea, George Brett, Mary Lou Retton, Jennifer Garner, and Brad Paisley. We have fantastic scenery and lots of fun outdoor activities because of the mountains, rivers, and national parks in WV.
WE have the B is for Beaver book for Oregon! Both my husband and I hail from there originally although we now live in in Washington… the Evergreen state. Which is funny since our half the state isn’t very green! It’s just the western half that is green, the eastern half is high desert and agricultural land with very few trees!
I’m reading from Mississippi. Cotton has always been the big crop here but now corn is up there with it. Elvis was born here. Archie Manning played ball here. BB King and Morgan Freeman are from here too. Jim Henson Muppets creator was born close to where I live now. The Vicksburg National Cemetery is the second largest national cemetery in the country behind Arlington. And The Mississippi River is the largest in the U.S, the nation’s chief waterway.
Fun question!
I could purchase, and have strong ties to — the Texas book, as that’s where I was raised, and where we lived for six years, in two different shifts. Kyle was born there.
Amanda was born in Oregon, so that book would hold interest for her in that respect. We loved the four years we lived there.
Now we live in Connecticut, and in a way, my little children are turning into Yankees. We love the history here, the seasons, and the varied topography — from coast to mountains (actually it’s a lot like Oregon in that respect).