In My America Lee Bennett Hopkins weaves together fifty poems to create a remarkable portrait of the United States - of its land, its climate, its people. Grouped by geographic region, the poems capture the character of each area of the country, from the dramatic seacoast of the northeast to the rippling cornfields of the plains states to the shimmering deserts of the southwest and the deep redwood forests of the Pacific coast. Here is America in all its stunning variety, but here, too, are the ties that bind this nation together-the similarities across regions in our cities, small towns, and farms. The voices of beloved poets like Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, Nikki Giovanni, and Lilian Moore blend with new voices to sing not just of landmarks like the Mississippi river, the Grand Canyon, and the Everglades but of daily life across the land. Complementing these personal, moving visions of America are solid facts-maps of the regions, capitals, a fascinating bit of trivia for each state, state mottos, birds, and much more. Stephen Alcorn's brilliant, textured artwork makes this book a feast for the eyes as well as for the imagination. Impressive for its breadth, depth, and beauty, My America is a volume readers can dip into, and one they will savor as they read it time and time again. It is fitting homage to our wide-ranging, ever-changing land.

- The publisher

MY AMERICA: A POETRY ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES
received starred reviews in both the September 2000 issue of SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
and the October 2000 issue of PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Gr 3-8-Seven regions plus Washington, DC, are explored through 51 poems by 40 different poets. The selections explore each area's geography, climate, or urban or rural features. Classic poets such as Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, and Nikki Giovanni are represented along with David McCord, X. J. Kennedy, Myra Cohn Livingston, and Hopkins himself. Twenty poems were commissioned especially for the book. Alcorn's paintings reflect the emotional range of the poems through a variety of styles and images. The artist expresses the diversity of American geography using shape, colors, and texture to evoke a variety of landscapes and including people from many cultural backgrounds. Each section is preceded by a painted map of the region and brief lists of facts, including a "Great Fact" for each state. Previous collections of poetry about America have taken chronological, thematic, or biographical approaches. This regional arrangement invites connections to literature set in the places presented. When used along with Nora Panzer's Celebrate America in Poetry and Art (Hyperion, 1999) and Hopkins's Hand in Hand: An American History through Poetry (S & S, 1994) and Lives: Poems about Famous Americans (HarperCollins, 1999), this volume will enrich literature and social-studies units.

-Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. - The School Library Journal © 9/1/2000

"An abundantly handsome anthology, MY AMERICA...proudly salutes all 50 states....Hopkins has assembled a thoughtful and varied selection, and Alcorn's radiant, almost pebbled paintings will hook readers and draw them into the volume.The illustrator approximates a folkish style made sophisticated by exceptionally rhythmic page design. One or two to a spread, the works alternate between traditional, box-like compositional fields and pictures that freely embrace the page; precise, luminously colored regional maps punctuate these visual translations of the poems. A geography lesson equally suited to pleasure reading."

- Publishers Weekly © 9/1/2000

"Hopkins is one of the foremost anthologists of children's poetry, with thematic collections on an amazing variety of topics, including school-related subjects such as math, science, American history, even school supplies and books themselves. This collection of fifty poems reflects the diversity of the US in several ways: in geography, weather, and history, in people, and in many different types of monuments, buildings, homes, from the landmarks of Washington, D.C., to the cornfields of the Midwest, Hopkins has done a remarkable job of covering so much territory with only fifty poems, 20 of them commissioned for this collection. Many poems are by well-respected authors such as Carl Sandburg,Gary Snyder, and Myra Cohn Livingston, and writers of color are represented, including langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, and Shonto Begay. Alcorn's stylized paintings complement each poem with a palette of textured jewel tones. The poems are organized in eight divisions based on geography, with a map of the area and a quick summary of basic facts for each state preceding the poems in every section. Indexes of authors, titles, and first lines are also included. Most students study the fifty states in the upper elementary grades (with many teachers integrating poetry across the curriculum), so this volume will be a logical and welcome choice for larger school and public library collections. (Poetry 8-12)

-Kirkus Reviews © 9/2000

"In this unique review of American geography, we tour region by region from the Northeast through the South, Great Lakes, Plains, Mountains, Southwest and Pacific states. For each area there is a clear, full-page map and a useful state-by-state summary of facts such as the capital, bird, flower, etc. But it is in the selection of 50 poems that we begin to feel the spirit as well as see the scenery that distinguishes each. The poems, by a wide variety of authors from Carl Sandburg to Hopkins himself, are brief, not more than a page, and vary in form and complexity. Among them it is easy to find an appealing selection to fit any mood, or reinforce the study of distinctive parts of our country. Alcorn's personal vision most often depicts objects in the poems, as in Myra Cohn Livingston's evocation "For Purple Mountains' Majesty" or James Hayford's hero picking up a pebble in "Frost's Farm Road." At other times, as in Jon Swan's "Nebraska," his paintings are metaphoric, even decorative. He uses color effectively to help emphasize the emotional content of the poems, while imbuing the pictures with a quiet energy that compels closer reading. Author, title, and first line indices included."

- Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz. © Children's Literature. All Rights Reserved;11/2000

My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Poets such as Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, Nikki  Giovanni, and Lilian Moore meld with new voices to pay tribute to grand landmarks and historic events as well as the everyday and personal aspects of our country. Organized by geographic regions, the poems capture the unique character and flavor of each area of the U.S. but also point out the similarities that bind this nation together. Complementing these moving visions of America are maps and facts about each state. Stephen Alcorn's brilliantly textured artwork makes this book a feast for the eyes.

-Children's Book Council

MY AMERICA: A Poetry Atlas of the United States. Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Simon & Schuster. $19.95. (Ages 8 to 12) Here's a reference book and poetry anthology combined in one handsome volume. There are 50 poems reflecting the regions of the nation, many by well-loved writers like Carl Sandburg and Langston Hughes. In addition there's the kind of data you find in an atlas: maps, capitals, state mottoes and curious facts. The muted illustrations are sometimes abstract, sometimes specific. A treat for those confronting that inescapable curriculum unit: learning the 50 states.

-Bookshelf
The New York Times February 11, 2001

The Fall 2000 AMERICAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION Pick of the Lists has been announced.

POETRY CATEGORY:

My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, Lee Bennett Hopkins, illus. by Stephen Alcorn. Simon & Schuster, 0-689-81247-7, $19.95. Finally, a book that combines graphic art and language arts with social studies in such a delightful way that teachers will fall in love with it. The book is divided into eight sections, each representing a different geographic area of the United States. Introducing each section are detailed facts about each state in that region. Each introduction is followed be a series of poems and art that represents the people, culture, and environment of the area. Hopkins pays close attention to the diversity of American culture, selecting poems that express each region's special contribution to our country. By the end of the book it becomes clear that the strength of America is in the unique gifts we all contribute to the whole. Twenty new commissioned works appear in the book as well as classic selectionsfrom such brilliant poets at Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, and David McCord.--A.G.

- International Reading Association

Each year the New York Public Library produces a booklet featuring the 100 titles.
It is available in NY libraries and is also distributed around the country and used as a buying guide.

The full list will be available at the Anne Carroll Moore lecture:
Tuesday, November 14 10:00 for coffee; Central Children's Room Donnell Library Center, 2nd floor 20 West 53rd Street. 10:30 for the Anne Carroll Moore lecture, Bankers Trust Auditorium, lower level of Donnell Library.

"Celebrate America in a unique tribute to our fifty states. Poetry and geography join hands to traverse the distinctive regions of the country. Beloved poets sing praise in perfect harmony with the fascinating facts and outstanding visual portaits. Take a poetry walk across the land we call home.

- Cuyahoga County Public Library