Review by Booklist Review
Manhattan (2019) author Thermes broadens her scope in this concise, inclusive, and handsomely illustrated tour of American history, which focuses on the land that came to be known as the United States and the immigrants who came to populate it. To that end, she recognizes the millions of Indigenous people who have lived on the continent for thousands of years and the fact that people from North, South, and Central America are all Americans--not just U.S. citizens. Divided into historically significant time periods, such as European colonization, the Gold Rush, and the Mexican--American War, the clear text describes how these events changed American geography. It never glamorizes the growing nation but rather addresses how these events impacted such populations as Native Americans, enslaved people, Mexicans, and Chinese immigrants. At the heart of the book are eye-catching maps that reveal an expanding America in exquisite detail made more impressive by the book's oversize format. After bringing readers to the current geography of the U.S. and its territories, Thermes turns to the arrival of immigrant groups from the 1900s, including the Great Migration of African Americans to the North, to the present and the discrimination and injustices these newcomers faced. She concludes with a hopeful message that, despite these challenges, humans continue to search for a better life.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
"Maps show how humans have used borders to divide the land into villages, towns, states, and countries. Much of the story of human history has been about the quest for land and who controls it." In this ambitious and comprehensive account, Thermes (The Indestructible Tom Crean, rev. 1/23) first chronicles European colonization and the aftermath it had -- and continues to have -- on Indigenous inhabitants of this continent. She goes on to describe successive waves of migration, both forced (the enslavement of Africans; Japanese incarceration during World War II) and voluntary, and mentions ongoing immigration issues. She weaves these narratives into larger political events, especially wars and territorial expansion. The design here is flawless: the illustrations, text, maps, and sidebars work in concert to synthesize and convey not only a large amount of complex information, but information that requires subtlety and nuance in its presentation (and though the art might sometimes be considered cozy, the text does not mince words: "The lie that a person with light skin was superior to one with dark skin tightened its grip"). Moreover, this extended nonfiction picture book has a slightly oversize trim, which, along with the pastel-colored illustrations rendered in watercolor, colored pencil, and ink, recalls the work of the d'Aulaires. This book too has the look and feel of a classic that readers will revisit time and again to fully absorb the details in both text and illustration. A selected bibliography recommends further resources, while an extensive timeline occupies both endpapers. Jonathan HuntNovember/December 2023 p.110 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A map-based view of American history. Opening with a carefully shaded, watercolor-and--colored pencil depiction of a green-and-blue Earth, Thermes, a map illustrator, describes how early humans "moved across the land and around the world in search of animals and plants to eat, fresh water to drink, and safe shelter to rest--as living creatures do." These themes persist throughout as she focuses on how methods of survival become multilayered systems of oppression. It's as if Howard Zinn wrote a children's book--instead of focusing on presidents and other White men, Thermes demonstrates how Indigenous people, African Americans, and immigrants form the foundation and framework of American history. Describing the founding of the United States, she writes, "European colonizers came to North America and struggled over who could claim the Native peoples' homelands as their own." Devoting a full spread to U.S. territories like Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the author/illustrator names the Indigenous peoples who still live there. Far too often history classes for children relegate Black, Indigenous, and immigrant history to side units, but this book can--and should--replace any text that doesn't rightfully center those narratives. One flaw is that the work skips over everything between 1965 and 2001 (including the AIDS crisis), but this is nevertheless a necessary addition to any educational institution or the personal library of any kid who wants to "work toward a better future for all who live upon the land." History made relevant. (afterword, selected sources, timeline) (Nonfiction. 8-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
