America's Independence Day brings a great appreciation of those who fought for freedom when our states were a mere 13 colonies. Following are reviews of some of the best and newest books that help celebrate the birth of our great nation.
Here is a book that will really give you a sense of what America was like back in the 1700's. Saddles, Stars, & Stripes: On The Edge of Revolution, by Deborah Kent, is an exciting and informative historical fiction that focuses on the attitudes of the early settlers as they dealt with British control.
Fourteen-year-old Eliza loves life in the Pennsylvania countryside. When the “redcoats” begin harassing the landowners, her twin brother Jeremy has had enough. He joins the rebels to fight and defend his rights. But it affects Eliza's family when the governor demands one of their precious team of horses. Jeremy takes the horses and joins other rebel farmers. Now his life, along with friends and neighbors, is threatened as the British army discovers where the rebels are hiding.
Kent has a great writing flair of displaying the sense of life back then, as well understanding the animosities that lead to war. This book is one of several by the author and I highly recommend it for ages 8 to 12.
Everybody's Revolution: A New Look at the People Who Won America's Freedom, by Thomas Fleming, is an incredible look inside the Revolutionary War and the many different types of people who helped win this conflict. This hands-on and kid-friendly edition is perfect for all ages.
The chapters include many interesting and unknown facts about the many foreigners included in the colonists' army, African-Americans who helped fight and women who helped support and even spied for America. There are brilliant full page paintings that support Fleming's facts, as well as easy to read information — making this a must for history buffs!
Wendell Minor's Yankee Doodle America is a unique and quick look into the Revolutionary War. Minor also included an interesting forward describing why he made each full page into a wood-crafted sign that runs the gambit of the alphabet.
He states that the colonists — back at the time of the birth of our nation — had very limited ways of getting information. One of the most popular ways was to go into village inns. These inns were advertised by a simple painting that gave an interesting view of the town or inn. Minor painted each letter as a sign that denotes the most important events of the war.
As we learned in a previous book, women were an important part in helping win the war. Patience Wright: America's First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy, by Pegi Deitz Shea, and beautifully painted by Bethanne Andersen, highlights the life of this courageous and talented woman in a picture book. Patience was highly successful in sculpting when the war broke out. While living in England, she began spying for her home country and helping extract valuable information to help the colonists win the war!
If you're looking for a child's armchair version of each of our 50 states, Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America, by Lynne Cheney, is the perfect book for all ages. Each state is outlined on a page that is filled with interesting information and contains fun and entertaining illustrations, by Robin Preiss Glasser. At first glance, it almost looks like too much on each page. But kids and adults alike will really enjoy reading about each state as Cheney begins on the eastern shores and ends in Hawaii.
How to Bake an American Pie, by Karma Wilson, is a poetic recipe and celebration of the greatness of this country. “Add purple mountain Majesties, Measure our meekness and might. Pour cupfuls of courage, as much as you please, then leaven with dawn's early light.” The brilliant watercolors, by Raul Colon, fill every page and glisten with wonder as you ponder what truly makes America.
And while we're on wonderful picture books displaying America, You're a Grand Old Flag, was a song written back in 1906 by George M. Cohan. Folk artist Warren Kimble has filled each page with the wonders of America. If you're not singing by the end of this, you may not be American!
My America, by Jan Spivey Gilchrist, is another celebration of what makes our country great. But it's the glorious full-page pictures, by Ashley Bryan and Gilchrist, that will fill your soul! 
I'm saving the most poignant picture book for last. What really makes Independence Day the greatest celebration for America is remembering all of those who fought and continue to fight to protect our country. The Impossible Patriotism Project, by Linda Skeers, and illustrated by Ard Hoyt, is about a student's struggles as he tries to figure out his patriotism project. He finally realizes his project will be about his dad who is serving in the military.
