National Parks of the U.S.A,
National Parks of the U.S.A,
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Wide Eyed Editions - Quarto
Annotation: Take a tour of America's great outdoors and discover the beauty and diversity of its most iconic and majestic national parks.
Genre: [Geography]
 
Reviews: 7
Catalog Number: #170298
Format: Library Binding
Copyright Date: 2018
Edition Date: 2018 Release Date: 07/03/18
Illustrator: Turnham, Chris,
Pages: 111 pages
ISBN: 1-8478-0976-6
ISBN 13: 978-1-8478-0976-6
Dewey: 917.304
Dimensions: 32 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Starred Review This lovely, oversize introduction to America's national parks invites readers into more than 20 scenic vistas, where four-page sections illustrate each unique environment and its native plants and animals. The first two pages offer paragraphs that sum up the park's scenery, history, and the special features that caused it to be designated a protected area. The second two pages feature small, distinct, detailed illustrations with brief captions of wildlife and foliage, while fact boxes provide basic park data cation, size, and date established. Information boxes add additional facts, such as unusual weather patterns, and simple maps show general locations. Popular tourist destinations, like Yosemite and the Everglades, are covered, as are attractions that may not be as familiar to national audiences: Acadia in Maine, Isle Royale in Michigan, or Olympic in Washington State. The muted color palette is reminiscent of vintage travel posters, and the pages evoke enticing travel brochures, as they extol the wonderful activities available for families (and portray diverse groups of visitors enjoying themselves). There's not a lot of current material on this subject aimed at young readers, and few publications could compete with this attractive packaging. An engaging picture book, this is also ideal for introductory inquiry research.

Kirkus Reviews

A panoramic sampler of our park system's flora, fauna, and other natural wonders.Siber and Turnham map all 60 parks but highlight 21 of the more popular ones. For each of the latter, a general introduction is paired with a big landscape (or underwater) view on one spread, and the next follows up with a small location map plus images of 10 or so distinctive plants, animals, and geological features with brief descriptive comments. The entries are arranged in geographical groups going, roughly, east to west but in no logical itinerary. Created digitally in a serigraphic style, the art has a retro, travel-poster look that complements the breezy narrative's message that these are places worth visiting: "Just about everything in the 49th state is bigger and gnarlier than in the Lower 48." Family groups hiking, swimming, or marveling at vistas in most of the larger pictures are (for a change) more often dark-skinned than light. Though the art's palette runs to muted greens, blues, and oranges, figures stand out sharply—in contrast to the smaller blocks of text, which are printed in a skinny-skinny type that can be hard to see when placed over dark or multihued backgrounds. Still, readers fond of outdoorsy activities will respond to this inviting array of sites, scenery, and wildlife in natural settings.An eyeful for active or armchair vacationers, though more a general overview than a guidebook. (index) (Nonfiction. 7-10)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

For travelers and outdoor enthusiasts alike, this attractive volume explores 21 of America-s most iconic national parks, from Maine-s Acadia (-Lace up your hiking boots!-) and Alaska-s Glacier Bay (-Listen for the whoomph of glaciers calving icebergs-) to tropical destinations in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The guide begins with a brief history of nature reserves, including President Grant-s 1872 establishment of Yellowstone, and maps throughout show each region-s park locations (though not all mapped parks are further detailed, which may frustrate readers). Subsequent pages for each region highlight its grandest parks with a full-bleed introduction and a second, factual spread that details area highlights, including common flora (in Denali, the black spruce: -Even a tiny, stunted spruce could be more than 100 years old-), fauna (at Glacier, the wolverine), and habitats. Digital art by Turnham layers visuals-Bryce Canyon-s stone strata, the steam of Yellowstone-s geysers, and the striated skies that soar over them all-as children and adults hike and paddle their way through the illustrations. An afterword discusses the fragility and welfare of the country-s outdoor spaces, and an alphabet seek-and-find invites readers to locate visuals throughout the pages-and, presumably, in the parks themselves. Ages 6-9. (July)

School Library Journal (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 2-6 This oversize picture book atlas of sorts examines U.S. national parks. Striking art decostyle illustrations and stylized fonts create an informative feast for the eyes. Early elementary school readers will love the browsable pages, but even middle schoolers will find some use here, and adults will marvel at the presentation. Familiar parks such as the Everglades, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite are here, but lesser known ones get equal treatment. Each region of the United States, from sea to shining sea, boasts a national park worthy of exploring. Fascinating snippets of information are interspersedlobsters are ill tempered; wolverines can take down animals as big as elk. VERDICT Pair, use, or display with a more detailed guide book of the parks for a thorough, stunning look at our nation's natural treasures. Sharon Verbeten, Brown County Library, Green Bay, WI

Reading Level: 4.0
Interest Level: 4-7

“…a surefire way to get your kiddos excited for the journey ahead.”The Everymom 

Take a tour of America's great outdoors and discover the beauty and diversity of its most iconic and majestic national parks.

A 2019 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students: K–12 (National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council)


Packed with maps and fascinating facts about the flora and fauna unique to each of the 21 parks portrayed, this lushly illustrated coast-to-coast journey documents in large format the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places—and shows why they should be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Explore Florida's river-laced Everglades, travel down the white water rapids of the Grand Canyon, trek across the deserts of Death Valley, and scale the soaring summits of the Rocky Mountains with this book that brings you up close to nature's greatest adventures.

Divided by region (East, Central, Rocky Mountains, West, Tropics, and Alaska), a pictographic map at the start of each section shows the locations of the parks to be covered. Each park is introduced by a stunning, poster-worthy illustration of one of its scenes and a summary of its makeup, followed by individual illustrations of the animals and plants that make their homes there.

Captions provide captivating information about the wildlife. Did you know that Everglades National Park is home to marsh rabbits who paddle through its swamps searching for herbs, flowers, and other plants to nibble on? Or that the pronghorn antelope of Badlands National Park are the continent’s fastest land animals, sprinting up to 60 miles per hour to escape predators like bobcats and coyotes?

A “Can you spot this…?” page at the back challenges you to find a pictured critter or plant for every letter of the alphabet.

The parks include: Acadia, Badlands, Big Bend, Biscayne, Bryce Canyon, Channel Islands, Death Valley, Denali, Everglades, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Hawaii volcanoes, Isle Royale, Mesa Verde, Olympic, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone, and Yosemite.

A book to be treasured by children and adults alike, National Parks of the USA serves to inspire the adventuring naturalist in all of us.

Brimming with facts, activities, and beautiful illustrations, the National Parks of the USA series of books immerses young people in the wonders of America’s outdoors. Learn about the wonderful wildlife, stunning scenery, and rare plants that inhabit these precious outdoor spaces. Celebrate these beautiful and rare locations, and be awed by the diversity and grandeur of the national parks’ living landscapes.

Also in the series: National Parks of the USA: Activity Book and National Parks of the USA Postcards.


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