Contemporary readers may find more that surprises in poems on John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, along with delightful odes to several national parks and natural wonders. McNeilly also features American economic dynamos, like Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan, to showcase the country’s get-the-job done ethos: “Work is the organized way we serve one another, //[...] In every humble endeavor, in each monumental task, // Lies the heart of America, beneath our star-spangled mask.” Though proudly patriotic, McNeilly acknowledges that “America is complex,” noting in the preference the shame of slavery and how resistance has met “each new wave” of the immigrants who “came to this continent in search of a better life and often, by brawn and brain, empowered by common values, created that life for themselves.”
McNeilly’s collection is educational, both in its subjects and its revival of a common-cause esprit de corps that has guttered in an age where digital media incentivizes division. Preceding each poem is a biographical or historical summary of the subject, and pen-and-ink illustrations are interspersed throughout. Along with these elements and the rhymed quatrain structure of his verses, McNeilly’s collection has substantial read-aloud value for children and would make for a fun introduction to American history that embraces the country’s greatness and aspiration for continual improvement.Takeaway: Rousing poems celebrating America’s history, spirit, and potential..
Comparable Titles: Christopher Cole’s Patriotic Poetry, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
