"Author Gabrielle Balkan's research and writing draws readers in with a fun mash-up of history, geography and pop culture, while Sol Linero's illustrations make every spread a delight."
—BookPage
"A great read to share with your young one. Bright and colorful, you'll enjoy it as much as they will!"
—Design Sponge
"For Those Who Pride Themselves on Knowing Their State's Flower/Bird/Motto. A large-format atlas of the U.S., The 50 States is chock-full of interesting facts, trivia and history."
—Family Circle
"When I first laid eyes on The 50 States, written and researched by Gabrielle Balkan and illustrated by Sol Linero, I absolutely had to have it because I think it's easily the most delightful book on the topic that I've ever seen."
—Inhabitots
"There are Tlingit nation canoes in Alaska, Walden Pond in Massachusetts, Harpers Ferry in West Virginia (but also the first pepperoni roll and first red-brick street; not all icons are serious business)."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Readers will enjoy browsing this oversized and colorful atlas of the United States....will offer hours of browsing pleasure."
—Literacy Daily (International Literacy Association)
"A big, beautiful educational journey across the U.S."
—Pretty Prudent
"A stylish atlas that evokes the character and diversity of the country, equally suitable for coffee tables or family vacations."
—Publishers Weekly
"Open the large formatted book and explore the United States. Each state (and the District of Columbia) is presented handsome, colorful, and highly informative maps to create a memorable journey."
—Reading Rockets
"The engaging, colorful pages, high interest facts, and intriguing material make this a volume that has appeal for a wide audience."
—School Library Connection, Highly Recommended
"A colorful introduction to the 50 states....an above-average title on a popular topic, and state trivia enthusiasts will find it entertaining and useful." -"
—School Library Journal
"Surprises abound in The 50 States, a splendid reference, coffee-table book and conversation starter for anyone, anywhere."
—Shelf Awareness
10/01/2015
Gr 2–5—A colorful introduction to the 50 states. Each spread details a different state and includes an oversize map and some information. Similar in format to Lynne Cheney's Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America (S. & S., 2006), Balkan's book is more neatly rendered (states are in alphabetical order). Facts are laid out on the map and in a separate column. This volume offers the usual content, such as statehood date and order, state flower, and state bird, as well as fun trivia (Pennsylvania is the home of the first banana split). In addition, Balkan provides interesting historical and geographical tidbits not usually found elsewhere and spotlights famous people from each state. Especially nice is the way the author features prominent women and minorities. For instance, the spread on Georgia highlights Yamacraw Indian chief Tomochichi, author Flannery O'Connor, and singer Little Richard. The illustrations are colorful and childlike. Though bright and appealing, the portraits lack detail. Other works, such as Mark H. Brockenhauer's Our Fifty States (National Geographic, 2004), examine the subject in more depth. Still, this is an above-average title on a popular topic, and state trivia enthusiasts will find it entertaining and useful. VERDICT The up-to-date material and the demand for offerings on the subject make this work a recommended purchase for public and school libraries.—Margaret Nunes, Gwinnett County Public Library, GA
2015-08-12
A gallimaufry of facts, oddities, and personalities makes Balkan and Linero's work a storybook atlas, leaving the navigation to your GPS. Balkan and Linero have eschewed the topographical for the narrative in hopes of presenting something of the distinctive character of each state in the Union, plus good old D.C. The oversized pages brim with small clumps of information, resulting in lots of introductory factoids with very little of substance. There is a vest-pocket introduction to each state, a timeline of selectively significant dates in the state's history, and boxes of key facts, such as capital city, state flower and bird, time zone. Effort has been taken to present an array of personalities associated with the state—assiduously varying gender, ethnicity, and race—and to provide what might be called iconic elements. There are Tlingit nation canoes in Alaska, Walden Pond in Massachusetts, Harpers Ferry in West Virginia (but also the first pepperoni roll and first red-brick street; not all icons are serious business). In addition, for each state the author has included at least one writer, as well as Caldecott and Newbery winners. Though the atlas is quite busy, the color is oddly muted; the saltwater-taffy chromatic range blends the states together rather than highlighting their distinguishing features. Fun but arbitrary; the real excitement starts when something sparks an interest and there isn't enough here to satisfy your curiosity. (Atlas. 8-12)
