A Place to Grow by Soyung Pak, illustrated by Marcelino Truong. Arthur. A. Levine/Scholastic. A family, like a seed, needs a good place to grow and sometimes, like a seed, a family has to travel far. A father’s loving explanation for emigrating to a new homeland.

America Is… by Louise Borden, illustrated by Stacey Schuett. McElderry. A patriotic and poetic tribute to America, celebrating our history, people, geography, government and diversity. With stunning illustrations.

America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates, illustrated by Neil Waldman. Atheneum. Westchester artist Waldman has illustrated this this beloved patriotic song, written over 100 years ago, with magnificent paintings of the wonders of the American landscape.

Anno’s USA by Mitsumasa Anno. Philomel. Travel coast to coast, through intricate scenes of rural and city life, from early days of the country to modern times.

Fourth of July on the Plains by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Henri Sorensen. Dial. Even on a wagon train from Indiana to Oregon, Americans stopped to celebrate Independence Day. Based on a true story and told by Westchester’s award-winning Jean Van Leeuwen.

From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folksongs edited by Amy Cohen, illustrated by fifteen award-winning artists. Scholastic. A giant anthology of over 140 folksongs and stories that cover the span and diversity of America from the beginning—through the voices of ordinary people who passed these folk stories from generation to generation. Something for everyone.

Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp, illustrated by Erwin Printup, Jr. Lee and Low. Adapted from a Mohawk morning tradition of starting each day by giving thanks to Mother Earth for all her gifts, the simple eloquence of the words remind us all of the natural world and the obligation to respect and treasure the gifts of the universe and of the country in which we live.

God Bless America by Irving Berling, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. HarperCollins (CD included). The Bear family celebrates America in this charming picture book version of the famous song.

I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin,Fr. And Michael Sampson, illustrated by Chris Raschka. Candlewick. The meaning behind the words and phrases of the Pledge of Allegiance is explored with simplicity and clarity.

Listen to the City by Rachel Isadora. Putnam. What does a city sound like? There’s the beeping and honking of traffic…the clanging and banging of construction… the clicking and clomping of people walking. There are also dogs barking, pigeons cooing and people chattering. The colorful pop art cartoons capture the speed, crowds and pulsating vitality of the city.

This Land Is Your Land by Woody Gutherie, illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen. Little, Brown. Sing the classic folksong while looking at glorious paintings of scenes all across America. Includes Woody's words & music and a tribute by Pete Seeger.

Milly and the Macy’s Day Parade by Shana Corey, illustrated by Brett Helquist. Scholastic. What better way for homesick immigrants to feel part of the holiday festivities than to have a parade that celebrates both old and new world traditions. At least that’s what Milly thinks. Based on a true story—sort of.

Uptown by Bryan Collier. Holt. Boldly colored collages and a lilting, spare text will take you on a guided tour of Harlem—with stops at the stores on 125th Street and the Apollo Theater plus a chance to sample scrumptious food and cool jazzy music. It's a trip you'll want to take again and again.