Reviews for The Impossible Patriotism Project

The average rating for The Impossible Patriotism Project based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-31 00:00:00 Robert Trend "The Impossible Patriotism Project" by Linda Skeers encourages readers to think about how they would define patriotism. It asks readers to think about what it really means to love your country. Caleb's teacher asks her students to create projects that show patriotism. Caleb's classmates come up with ideas immediately but Caleb struggles. When he finally has an epiphany about what to do, his project impresses his classmates, teacher, and his mom. For this book's particular look at the topic, military service is honored over other kinds of patriotism. It shows military personnel the respect they deserve, but it also singles them out as the true patriots. I don't want to take anything away from the message of this book as it pays tribute to our service men and women, but I would caution teachers and librarians to balance this book with other stories that define patriotism as something more than wearing a uniform and fighting our enemies (i.e., defending our freedom). This is a super book for readers who actually DO have parents or other loved ones serving in the military. It provides such a respectful look at the work they are doing. I would recommend it for first- through fourth-grade students. The illustrations by Ard Hoyt that appear to be watercolor and pencil also are very imaginative and engaging.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-05-23 00:00:00 Sandra J Barber When Caleb's teacher gives his class the assignment to come up with a display for parents' night on "Patriotism" Caleb can't think of anything. His classmates are all hard at work on their projects, but Caleb thinks patriotism is too abstract. Besides, his dad is serving a military tour overseas and won't even be there. This isn't your typical parent deploying book that explains that mommy or daddy is going away, or how it will be when they return. But I think it may still be a contender for my list. Deployment and redeployment are big events, but I also think that it is important to kids to have a character they can relate to when they are going through their daily lives during a parent's deployment and mom or dad can't be there for every special night. Plus, I like the way that he incorporated his dad into his project. It would have gotten 5 stars if Caleb's deployed parent had been his mom. There needs to be more of a gender balance with these types of books.