One Nation: America by the Numbers Book

The follow-up to "A is for America: An American Alphabet," author Devin Scillian and illustrator Pam Carroll again weave their magic around the symbols of Americana that make us proud.

Sharon Salluzzo - Children's Literature

Consecutive numbers from one to fifteen, twenty, fifty and one hundred are presented in relation to Americana. The number one is for "One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Often, the other numbers recall two or more items. Some are playful, such as nine players on a baseball team. But that is paired with nine members of the Supreme Court. The current justices are pictured behind third base. The rhyming text is accompanied by a vertical border that provides additional information in slightly smaller print and the numeral at the bottom. There are references to the states, the Statue of Liberty, historical documents, and early space pioneers. The number Twelve seems to have posed a problem: it talks about a dozen and only in the small print does it mention the number of people in an American jury. Carroll has been both literal and creative in her art. For thirteen stripes, she pictures the flag on the back of a tricycle, a red, white, and blue ball, a red and white striped jump rope, and a hop scotch board prominently displaying the numeral 13. The page discussing the seven Southern states has an outdoor market displaying products for which each state is known. In a couple of instances, information is lost in the gutter. While not an essential purchase, this does present a few brief facts about the United States in a fun way. It could be used to pique interest in historical, social, or geographical content. 2002, Sleeping Bear Press,