Patriotic picture books

Heroes of 1776

Neil Gorsuch & Janie Nitze
HarperCollins, 48 pages

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch teamed with Janie Nitze to pen a children’s narrative highlighting the events and people involved with the birth of our nation. With Chris Ellison’s acrylic illustrations as a backdrop, Gorsuch and Nitze weave into their account vignettes of the unsung heroes of the war, revealing the sobering reality of the steep cost of liberty and freedom. They note that the colonists didn’t win because they were rich, smart, and well supplied: “They won in large measure because of the daily acts of courage and sacrifice of thousands of ordinary men, women, and children.” Gorsuch’s afterword reminds young readers that the respon­sibility of guarding the declaration’s principles for future generations is now in their hands. Ages 5–12

Sing the 50 United States!

Dr. Seuss
Random House, 40 pages

Random House revealed last year that archivists had found in the Geisel Library at the University of California, San Diego a never-before-seen manuscript and book cover sketch by Theodor Geisel. With its publication timed to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, the book’s text introduces young readers to all 50 United States in Dr. Seuss’ typical rhyming style. Paired with Seuss-inspired illustrations by artist Tom Brannon, the sing-song story begins with the Cat in the Hat reciting the M-named states before wandering through the next 42 states. Along the way, the Cat tells children that singing “the 50 United States takes brains” and you need to “sing them from your heart.” The endnotes feature excerpts and sketches from Geisel’s original manuscript. Ages 4–8

Gingerbread for Liberty!

Mara Rockliff
Clarion Books, 32 pages

This book originally made its debut in 2015, but it is rereleasing ahead of the nation’s semiquincentennial. Alongside Vincent Kirsch’s cut paper illustrations, Mara Rockliff tells the story of Christopher Ludwick, a German gingerbread maker from Philadelphia who baked bread for the troops serving under Gen. George Washington. In addition to boosting morale by baking bread well—and at great personal cost—Ludwick also used his German background to persuade German mercenaries to desert the British side. When the British finally surrendered, Washington had Ludwick bake 6,000 pounds of bread to feed the hungry British troops. Once Ludwick returned home, he resumed making his signature gingerbread and remained steadfast in caring for the poor and sick. Ages 5–10

The 4th of July Story

Alice Dalgliesh
Aladdin, 32 pages

Author Alice Dalgliesh, who also penned The Courage of Sarah Noble and The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, first published this book in 1956, but it remains in print today due to its accessible and engaging introduction to our nation’s founding. Featuring Marie Nonnast’s classic illustrations, this extended picture book broadly explains how the Colonies pursued freedom from Britain by unifying under the Declaration of Independence and then banding together on the battlefield to fight for their own country. Dalgliesh’s descriptive narrative draws children into the story by helping them visualize moments in revolutionary America while pondering how people would have felt as they heard the news proclaiming, “Liberty throughout the land, Liberty to all the people!” Ages 5–9