Happy Birthday, America
by Mary Pope Osborne
(Check Catalog)

Three generations of a family join in a lively small-town celebration of Independence Day, including a parade, a picnic, music, and fireworks.

The whole family joins in a lively small-town celebration of Independence Day, including a parade, a picnic, music, and fireworks.

Horn Book Guide Reviews 2003 Fall

In this patriotic picture book, a young boy describes his family's celebration of the nations birthday. Osborne's description of their day at the park, with its pet parade, food and game booths, talent show, face painting, and band concert, presents a realistic slice of Americana, small-town style. The luminous watercolors depict the enthusiasm of the narrator and his family throughout the day.

K-Gr 2-Independence and patriotism are hard concepts for the very young to grasp. Osborne tackles this challenge through a nostalgic recollection of a small-town Fourth of July celebration. Food, fun, and family fill the day, with firemen; members of the Kiwanis, American Legion, and Knights of Columbus; and a local dance school and band all playing their parts. "Yankee Doodle," "Stars and Stripes Forever," Lady Liberty, reading from the Declaration of Independence, and a community singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" lead right into the "Oooooh!" "Ahhhh!" "Wow!" sparked by the fireworks. Finally, a happy, tired family drives home. Though most children would rather be at an event than read about the nice time others have, Osborne's text is an agreeable slice of life. Catalanotto's illustrations capture the festivities with selective realism and just enough detail. The author's notes cap the work with a few historical and personal tidbits. Libraries that need additional materials to support holiday collections will find this worthy of consideration even though the ideals of independence and patriotism remain elusive.-Jody McCoy,