Uncle Sam

Children's Literature - Kris Sauer

Geared toward early primary students, this picture book tells the story of Uncle Sam, one of America's most enduring symbols. Uncle Sam got his name from Sam Wilson, a meatpacker who had a contract with the U.S. government to send meat to soldiers fighting the War of 1812. Some soldiers, seeing the initials "U.S."—for United States, of course—thought those initials stood instead for "Uncle" Sam Wilson. Soon "Uncle Sam" came to represent the national government of the United States. Using simple text, interesting facts and colorful illustrations, this book details how this early American symbol developed into the iconic figure featured in more than 4 million World War I recruiting posters for the U.S. Army. Part of the 16-title "American Symbols" series, which won Learning Magazine's 2008 Teachers' Choice Award, the text covers Standard 4 of the National Standards for History: How democratic values came to be, and how they have been exemplified by people, events and symbols. As a good nonfiction book should, this title includes a glossary, set of related facts, an index, an age-appropriate bibliography and a link to content-secure sites on the Internet. Accelerated Reader quizzes are also available on the publisher's web site. This is a very accessible, interesting read that will help young students understand where one of the most enduring, folksy and accessible symbols of our country came from. Reviewer: Kris Sauer

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2

Each book has an introductory figure who delivers information in narrative form, covering the topics through to the present day. The illustrations feature cheerful men and women of various ethnicities in settings where nothing is dirty or threatening. Even in Angel , when Chinese immigrants are building the railroad, being questioned by a panel, or enduring long stints of confinement, everyone is smiling. Many of the illustrations are large-scale, flowing spreads, superimposed over text. While the digitally produced pictures have a characteristic flatness, the figures are given a sculptural quality through shading and color block variations The books are not detailed enough for in-depth research, but their simple language and brief descriptions make them effective for introducing children to patriotic topics. Though they are similar in approach to the "Our Nation's Pride" series (ABDO, 2008), these titles have a larger format.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA