4th of July is the most perfect holiday. Even though this year might look a little different (#thankscovid), I still plan on making it the most perfect celebration I can for my two kids. For us, a celebration is never complete without some books that we can all enjoy together. With 4th of July coming up rather quickly, I hopped on Amazon and “primed” some patriotic books that we use to help explain the importance of this day.
There are so many amazing board books, picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels out there with 4th of July as the central idea. If you’re like me and needing some books for the holiday, I’ve rounded up 8 of my favorite picture books that I’ll read with my kids.
In addition to reading these to your own children, you could also do a couple other things with them to help stay connected with your students over the summer. Try recording yourself reading one aloud and sending it out to your students. Or you could try recording a message about patriotism on Flipgrid and let your students respond to each other.
Click on the link in the description of each book to go straight to Amazon to purchase the book. Happy reading and Happy (early) 4th of July!! 🇺🇸 🎊
L is for Liberty For more than a century, the Statue of Liberty has stood proudly in New York Harbor, welcoming people from near and far. Perfect for reading together with a young child, L Is for Liberty uses simple language and bold illustrations to celebrate the statue, her history, and the freedom she stands for.
Apple Pie Fourth of July Shocked that her parents are cooking Chinese food to sell in the family store on an all-American holiday, a feisty Chinese American girl tries to tell her mother and father how things really are. But as the parade passes by and fireworks light the sky, she learns a surprising lesson.
O, Say Can You See? There are stars-and-stripes T-shirts. There are Statue of Liberty pencil sharpeners and Uncle Sam Halloween costumes. Patriotic symbols are everywhere…but where do they come from? What do they mean?
Now in paperback, this celebration of twenty of America’s important places, interesting objects, and inspiring words is for the youngest Americans.
America Is… It is fifty states from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Ocean and beyond. It is a flag of stars and stripes. It is farmers, miners, factory workers, bakers, and bankers. It is Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, swamps and desert.
It is the stories of all of us, told together.
The Bald Eagle This strong and beautiful bird is a symbol for an entire country. It is the bald eagle, and Americans made it their national emblem more than 200 years ago. Join Bill the bird keeper to see how this bird lives and how it became a symbol of the United States.
Berenstein Bears: God Bless Our Country The Bear family and their Bear Country neighbors celebrate the Fourth of July with a big parade. But not before the cubs get a lesson about the blessings of freedom for their country.
This Land is Your Land Since its debut in the 1940s, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” has become one of the best-loved and most timely folk songs in America, inspiring activism and patriotism for all. This classic ballad is now brought to life in a richly illustrated edition for the whole family to share. Kathy Jakobsen’s detailed paintings, which invite readers on a journey across the country, create an unforgettable portrait of our diverse land and the people who live it.
Blue Sky, White Stars Wonderfully spare, deceptively simple verses pair with richly evocative paintings to celebrate the iconic imagery of our nation, beginning with the American flag. Each spread, sumptuously illustrated by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson, depicts a stirring tableau, from the view of the Statue of Library at Ellis Island to civil rights marchers shoulder to shoulder, to a spacecraft at Cape Canaveral blasting off. This book is an ode to America then and now, from sea to shining sea.
Windy City Literacy 