From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4–Using the motif of a circus train, Sís has designed a different car for each state in the Union and a caboose for Washington, DC. A great deal of research went into this book as evidenced by the many tiny details in each watercolor painting. The cars are lined up chronologically according to their date of statehood and are decorated with the state flag, nickname, motto, bird, tree, and animal as well as important people or sites. Readers who have researched a state and are familiar with its history will appreciate the full-page vignettes, but for those who are not, some of the pictures without labels will have little meaning. These details are explained in a section at the back that also provides the key to the symbols that appear throughout. Students who need to research states for reports should try Benjamin F. and Barbara S. Shearer's State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols (Greenwood, 2001). Sís's engaging title, however, is a browser's ticket for a cross-country journey and a treat for trivia lovers everywhere.–Laurie Edwards, Infinity Charter School, Harrisburg, PA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
*Starred Review* K-Gr. 3. Czech-born illustrator Sis celebrates his adopted country with an election-year salute to its 50 states. Inspired by his visit to Wisconsin's Circus World Museum, he presents each state as an elaborately decorated, antique circus wagon, emblazoned with symbolic, often whimsical images that range from state birds to native trees (and sons). Together, the wagons comprise a train of states being pulled, on kaleidoscopic wheels, past a schoolroom of dazzled children. The cars are ordered by the date of the state's admission to the union, leading off with Delaware, "The First State," and concluding with a Washington, D.C., "caboose." In the cab of a red-white-and-blue locomotive are the iconographic figures of Uncle Sam and an American eagle. A banner at the bottom of each page notes the state capital, tree, flower, and bird, along with a "fun fact" (elk, deer, and antelope outnumber humans in Montana). But it's the wagons--with their rococo embellishments and glorious gallimaufry of visual factoids, trivia, hoopla, and American hyperbole--that command attention and invite endless, wondering reexamination. Each look reveals something new, and, as if that were not enough, an appended page of notes offers further information that encourages children to create their own "train of states." Another dazzler from the incomparable Sis. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description

The train of states is rolling by --
rush to the window and watch it go!
The very first car? The very first state:
Delaware, of course,
followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia ...
fifty in all.
The caboose? Washington, D.C.!

Look closely! What do you see?
State birds, state flowers, state trees ...
forty-three presidents! Can you find them all?
Can you spot the flags, heroes, animals, and landmarks
adorning the train of states?

Clickety clack, clickety clack.
Rush out the door, rush to the track.
Where is the train going? Come along!
Over the prairie, over the mountains,
down a green valley, and into a billowing tent.
It's time for a party --
it's time to celebrate
the fifty states!


About the Author
Peter Sis was born in Czechoslovakia and now lives in New York City with his wife and two children. His drawings appear regularly in The New York Times Book Review and other publications. He is the author-artist of The Three Golden Keys, Komodo!, Follow the Dream, and A Small, Tall Tale from the Far, Far North. He has illustrated several books by other authors, including Sid Fleischman and George Shannon. In His Own Words... "I was born in the middle of the century and grew up in the magical city of Prague, Czechoslovakia, in the heart of Europe. My father was a filmmaker and explorer, and he brought back many interesting things from his travels to Tibet, Borneo, and other places all over the world. "From early on, I was encouraged to make pictures by my mother and father, both artists, and by their artist friends. I was not always encouraged at school, where I used to draw little pictures on everything, for everybody, usually in the middle of class. "I remember with great fondness what I thought of as the largest bookstore imaginable. It was our library at home. My mother's father designed railway stations in Cleveland and Chicago in the 1930s, and my mother lived in the United States as a little girl. When the family returned home, my grandfather brought back with him a great many books, including a collection of all the Sunday cartoons from the Chicago newspapers bound in one large volume. I remember stretching myself over a page, and panel by panel devouring Little Orphan Annie, Mutt and Jeff, Krazy Kat, and the one with the little cable car. "I went from art school to art school and had some wonderful teachers, especially J. Trnka, who was a famous illustrator and animator. I remember sometimes becoming so involved with a picture that I didn't notice the night was just about over. I would place the picture next to my bed so that I could see it first thing when I awoke. Things changed when my daughter, Madeleine, was born. I began to get up at night to look at the picture and my daughter. Now that my son, Matej, is here, my pictures remain out of the house in the babyproof studio, and I get up at night just to look at the children. "I was lucky to have Quentin Blake as a tutor at London's Royal College of Art. By that time, I had already become involved with animated films. After my film Heads won a prize in Berlin in 1980, 1 did an animation series for TV in Zurich, Switzerland, and then another film in London. Before I knew it, I found myself working on a film in Los Angeles. But what I really wanted was to draw and paint my own pictures. "On the advice of a wonderful friend, Josine lanco, I wrote to Maurice Sendak, hardly expecting him to write back. He didn't. He telephoned, first from the East Coast and then from Los Angeles, where he had come to be honored by the American Library Association. By then I had a hazy idea that I should go to the East to meet with children's book publishers. "To my surprise, Mr. Sendak, after seeing my portfolio, in the last hours of the ALA convention, introduced me to Ava Weiss, Greenwillow's art director. I showed her my work, and she in turn introduced me to Susan Hirschman and Greenwillow. Shortly thereafter I started work on my first book, Bean Boy, by George Shannon. I moved to New York, and here I am, many books and some dozen years later. Before I had Madeleine and Matej, I thought the reason I did my books was to win medals and awards. Now I have received the Caldecott Honor and awards from the Society of Illustrators, the New York Times, the Boston Globe-Horn Book, and many international organizations. And what really matters to me is not awards but what children--and my own children in particular--think of my books. Now I do my books just for them. My children like my books, but they do not really know I am the author. I like it that way...."

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
The U.S. of A. is riding the rails in this informative, eye-catching read from award-winning author-illustrator Peter Sís. Inspired by antique circus wagons at the Circus World Museum, Sís creates a colorful American-themed train, dedicating each page to a different state (plus one for Washington, D.C.), with each state's particular statistics and symbols front and center. The author organizes his train according to when statehood was achieved, so he begins with Delaware and lists its capital, state tree, state flower, state bird, and other symbols. Sís includes other basic facts about Delaware, too, such as its nickname and motto, building all of the state's symbols into the design of the train car; by combining his own illustrative perspective with old-fashioned flair, he is able to show off Delaware's uniqueness. From there, readers will be fascinated by the other states' train cars -- including Kentucky's horse theme and Utah's beehive and industry design -- all rounded out with Washington, D.C., as the caboose, a scene of children attending a U.S.A.-symboled circus, and a lengthy note about the illustrations in the book. It goes without saying that for Sís fans, this impressive effort is a welcome addition to collections, thanks to the author-illustrator's particular attention to detail and style. Parents and educators of children in lower grades will find this a handy, eye-catching reference tool as well, making a fun starting point for those not wholly familiar with Sís's work. Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

Gives information about each state, including capital, motto, state tree, state bird, source of name, and date of statehood.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The train of states is rolling by -- rush to the window and watch it go! The very first car? The very first state:
Delaware, of course, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia ... fifty in all.
The caboose? Washington, D.C.!

Look closely! What do you see? State birds, state flowers, state trees ... forty-three presidents! Can you find them all? Can you spot the flags, heroes, animals, and landmarks adorning the train of states?

Clickety clack, clickety clack. Rush out the door, rush to the track. Where is the train going? Come along! Over the prairie, over the mountains, down a green valley, and into a billowing tent. It's time for a party -- it's time to celebrate the fifty states!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Uncle Sam conducts the patriotic engine of this line of 50 railroad cars (one per state), and Washington, D.C., brings up the rear as caboose. Czechoslovakian-born Sis combines his love for his adopted country (his home for more than two decades) with his admiration for antique circus wagons (from an introductory note). The cars appear chronologically, according to their date of statehood. Readers will pore over the unique design of each, which incorporates the state's flag, motto, nickname and the genesis of its name, as well as labeled images of the state tree, flower and bird. Underneath the cars, Sis lists the state capital, then repeats the state tree, flower and bird, adding a piece of trivia (e.g., "In Barrow, Alaska's northernmost point, the sun doesn't set for 84 days during the summer months"). Given the prescribed space allotted to each state, the duplication of some of these facts comes at the expense of additional information. But the wagons teem with interesting details (explained in an endnote); they include miniature portraits of presidents or other celebrities who hail from the state (Ben Franklin tops the Pennsylvania circus wagon), milestones (Ohio had the first professional baseball team; women could first vote in Wyoming) and relevant symbols (Mount Rushmore for South Dakota). Sis's signature fine black line limns entire vignettes while his watercolor wash adds depth and perspective. He gives both youngsters hungry for state facts and those casting about for unusual historical morsels ample reason to climb aboard this festive train. Ages 6-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Heidi Hauser Green

It is time to celebrate the United States in this visual cornucopia of historical facts. State by state, Peter Sis provides rich details about each of the nation's states, as well as the District of Columbia. States are presented in order of their admission to statehood, and Washington, D.C. follows at the end. From Delaware on, readers learn about each state's capital, its official bird, tree, and flower. They also learn what each one was named for, the dates of statehood, and other facts. To say that Sis' illustrations are richly detailed is an understatement. Each page is a visual feast stuffed to the brim with hints of information about the history, society, and people of each area. The sources of inspiration for many of the illustrations are provided in the accompanying notes, but readers are sure to have a great time trying to decode the book's secrets on their own. The concept for the book is that this is a train of states akin to the hand-carved and hand-painted antique circus wagons of old. By the book's end, the train has rolled into town, and all the people flock to the big, American flag tent to see the performers, who are living embodiments of the states themselves. Readers will enjoy this fun approach to social studies! 2004, Greenwillow/HarperCollins, Ages 4 to 8.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Using the motif of a circus train, S's has designed a different car for each state in the Union and a caboose for Washington, DC. A great deal of research went into this book as evidenced by the many tiny details in each watercolor painting. The cars are lined up chronologically according to their date of statehood and are decorated with the state flag, nickname, motto, bird, tree, and animal as well as important people or sites. Readers who have researched a state and are familiar with its history will appreciate the full-page vignettes, but for those who are not, some of the pictures without labels will have little meaning. These details are explained in a section at the back that also provides the key to the symbols that appear throughout. Students who need to research states for reports should try Benjamin F. and Barbara S. Shearer's State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols (Greenwood, 2001). S's's engaging title, however, is a browser's ticket for a cross-country journey and a treat for trivia lovers everywhere.-Laurie Edwards, Infinity Charter School, Harrisburg, PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews