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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 323.650973
EAN num: 9780763625276
ISBN number: 0763625272
Label: Candlewick
Manufacturer: Candlewick
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 40
Printing Date: June 03, 2004
Publishing house: Candlewick
Age index: Ages 4-8
Release Date: June 03, 2004
Sale Popularity Level: 207021
Studio: Candlewick
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
'Finally, here's a picture book that helps young children move beyond rote recitation of the Pledge to find meaning in its language. This is the book parents and teachers have been waiting for.' — BOOKLIST (starred review)
'I led a pigeon to the flag' . . . 'and to the wee puppet' . . . 'one
nation, and a vegetable' . . . What was that again? Children in the United States have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance since 1892 — and for about that long, they've found its big words confusing. Now, beloved children's book author Bill Martin Jr (BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?), fellow literacy expert Michael Sampson, and Caldecott Honor-winning artist Chris Raschka give America's children a hand, and explain this patriotic poem once and for all. A new paperback edition offers notes and suggested activities to help parents and teachers make this book even more interesting to and fun for children.
Amazon.com Review:
Whether kids want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or respectfully decline, this straightforward and playfully illustrated guide clears up what the pledge really means--word by word, and line by line.
Two pledge-loving literacy experts (Michael Sampson and Bill Martin, Jr.) and one polite pledge-abstainer (Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Chris Raschka) have come together to explicate America's time-honored oath in plain, kid-friendly language: 'I pledge (A pledge is a promise) allegiance to (Allegiance is loyalty) the flag (A flag is a symbol that stands for a place, a thing, or an idea. Making a promise to a flag usually means the same thing as making a promise to whatever the flag stands for.).' Sampson and Martin's annotations adequately convey the essential meaning behind the words, although understandably less so in the thornier sections: 'under God (Many people believe that a democracy is a reflection of how God thinks--every single person is important.)'
I Pledge Allegiance also covers some of the history behind the pledge and the flag, but what kids will probably remember best--aside from the pledge itself--is Raschka's clever, winning collage work, which somehow manages to sum up ideas like liberty, justice, and God with a few quick strokes and scraps. (An 18-by-24-inch flag poster is included with the book.) (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I think this is a nice book to teach a child the pledge of allegiance and to explain to them what the pledge means. This book breaks down the meaning of each word and explains them in a way that children can understand. It gives the history of the pledge, a little about the flag, what to do while saying the pledge and touches on what this great country is all about. From other reviews I have read, it appears that Francis Bellamy, who authored the pledge, did not include the line "...under God". Nonetheless, it was included in this book and is the version of the pledge that I recited every morning during my school years...and it is the version I will teach my daughter.
Rated by buyers -
Very well-written book. It could use more historical information about the topic addressed. For example, the early Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the stiff-arm salute. The Pledge was written (1892) by Francis Bellamy, cousin to an infamous author of the time, Edward Bellamy, and they were both self-proclaimed socialists in the Nationalism movement and promoted military socialism. They wanted government to take over all schools and impose robotic chanting to flags. The Pledge was the origin of the salute of the National Socialist German Workers Party. American socialists (Edward Bellamy teamed with the Theosophical Society) also bear some blame for German socialism's notorious flag symbol, which evolved into overlapping S-letters for socialism under the National Socialist German Workers Party. The Pledge's early salute was not an ancient Roman salute, and the 'ancient Roman salute' myth came from the Pledge Of Allegiance. It is amazing that books don't examine the issue of whether the pledge should be dropped entirely, especially for young children in government schools. The socialist dogma led to the socialist Wholecost: 60 million dead under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 50 million under the Peoples' Republic of China; 20 million under the National Socialist German Workers Party. It might be the most tragic part of world history.
Rated by buyers 
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The goal--nicely attempted--of breaking down each line of this too-difficult-for-the-kids-who-have-to-say-it speech falls short.
While they explain the large words in kid-friendly phrases and credit Francis Bellamy, they make the significant omission of the fact that Bellamy DID NOT write the phrase "under God," and that it was added without his permission. The text says, "Many people believe that a democracyis a reflection of how God thinks..." without mentioning that the pledge, in its current form, misquotes its author.
A book that is designed to clear things up should be more accurate. Nonetheless, the illustrations are eye-catching and the language accessible to kids. It's a good idea to give them a better understanding than their often-quoted, "I led the pigeons to the flag..."
Rated by buyers -
Every morning millions of children stand and face the flag, place their hands over their hearts, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. But what do these 31 words really mean? Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson have taken the pledge apart, and explained each word (pledge: A pledge is a promise), or phrase (one nation: Our states and territories have bonded together to form one nation. One nation means one country), in simple, kid-friendly language. Add to that some history, fun facts, witty asides, and the clever artwork of award winning illustrator, Chris Raschka, and you have the makings of an engaging, entertaining, and informative book. Perfect for youngsters 6 and older, I Pledge Allegiance is a creative and straightforward look at the meaning behind America's most often recited words, and works well with Syl Sobel's Our Pledge Of Allegiance.
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