Rhode Island (This Land is Your Land) by Ann Heinrichs

From the Publisher

America is beautiful because its land and people are so varied ... 50 proud states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico ... each with its own history and heroes, landforms, and life-style. And now each has its own story told, its people profiled, its greatness celebrated, in one of the 52 volumes comprising America the Beautiful. The material covered corresponds to social studies curricula for grades 5 through 8. However, with their crisp, clear writing ... breathtaking, full-color graphics ... and wealth of factual material, logically organized to invite easy reference ... these books are completely suitable for students from grade 4 through high school. In every book of America the Beautiful, the engagingly written text covers the geography, history, government, economy, arts, and recreation of the state, concluding with an exciting "tour" of significant sights. Then comes the remarkably complete reference section, usually over 30 pages and designed in a way that allows students to find easily the information they are looking for.

The reference section includes:
-- Facts at a Glance, including key statistics on all aspects of the state, conveniently arranged by subject
-- Important Dates, an outline chronology of the state's history
-- Important People, dozens of profiles of the state's leading historical and contemporary men and women in politics, commerce and industry, the arts and other areas; many of these notables are pictured
-- Map Section, a full-page political map of the state plus specialized maps graphically depicting topography, population, products, precipitation, counties, and major roads
-- Index of names, subjects, and illustrations.

Marcie Flinchum Atkins - Children's Literature

Rhode Island was the first state to declare its independence from Great Britain. That interesting fact and much more is explained in the book, part of the "This Land is Your Land" series. Divided in easy to use section, the book describes Rhode Island's rivers, forests, birds, and sea animals. Other sections explain the state's long history beginning with Native Americans and early European explorers. There's a section on governments, local and state. Then a section describes common occupations in Rhode Islanders, where many people work in factories, greenhouses and nurseries, dairy and apple farming. The state's many festivals celebrate the sea, winter, and music. The author describes interesting places to explore, such as topiary gardens and beaches. The back of the book includes important dates, a glossary, interesting facts, state symbols, recipes, the state song, brief biographies of famous Rhode Islanders, and lists of books, websites, and addresses for more information. This is a must have for any school library. 2004, Compass Point Books, Ages 8 to 12.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-- This contribution to the series presents the essentials generally required for school reports in a dry, nonanalytical way. Topics such as the land and people, history, government, economy, culture, and recreation are outlined with little reference to causes or effects. While several pictures are missing captions and an occasional error appears in the text (e.g., Heinrichs suggests that an official decision on wolf introduction into Yellowstone has been made when, in fact, the controversy still rages), the book presents an up-to-date and accurate picture of life in Wyoming. Maps, charts, full-color photographs, and a clear format make it accessible. A ``Facts at a Glance'' section summarizes the material included and, in fact, makes reading of the entire text unnecessary. Libraries needing current information for traditional reports on the states will find this to be a serviceable addition to their collections. It is unfortunate that the issues and questions that might hook children into the real meat of social studies and their importance to their own lives (e.g., how has treatment of American Indians in Wyoming been a reflection of national policies?) are simply not addressed here. --Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie

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