It’s a good thing that Stephen Pleasonton had a better sense of timing than I do! Otherwise, we might not have the original Declaration of Independence to view when visiting Washington DC. The actual launch date for this book was April 14th…and I was supposed to announce that in a book birthday post…but since I missed the birthday, I decided to turn the Perfect Picture Book spotlight on this awesome picture book. And author Anna Crowley Redding not only is generously giving away a copy of the book to one lucky winner, but she is also stopping by to chat with us a bit. Make sure you scroll through the post so you don’t miss her!

RESCUING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Written by Anna Crowley Redding

Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Published by Harper Collins

Ages: 4-8

Themes: American history, courage, ingenuity

Synopsis from Amazon:

He saved the words that built America! Emmy Award–winning journalist Anna Crowley Redding and Sibert Honor illustrator Edwin Fotheringham bring to life the riveting true story about the lowly clerk who saved the Declaration of Independence from being destroyed by the British army in the War of 1812. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These are the words that helped found our nation. Today the Declaration of Independence is one of the United States’ most heavily guarded treasures, but during the War of 1812 it would have been destroyed if not for one man whose story has nearly been forgotten by time. Come along on this historic adventure and learn how one ordinary clerk did a truly extraordinary thing.

As a clerk for the State Department, Stephen Pleasonton spent his days quietly immersed in paperwork. He never expected to receive an urgent message telling him that the British army was on its way to the capital. And that the documents that Stephen was entrusted with—such as the original Declaration of Independence and the original Constitution—were all in danger!

It fell on Stephen to get our nation’s most cherished and priceless artifacts safely out of Washington!

WOW! Doesn’t that make you want to grab the book and read it? I’m fortunate because the author, Anna Crowley Redding, is one of my critique buddies and I got to see this book years ago when it was still a rough draft. I loved it them…and I’m thrilled to see it debut as a real live book! It’s definitely going to be a big hit with school kids!

Why I love this book:

• I love nonfiction picture books that make history accessible for young kids!
• I love the illustrations by award-winning Edwin Fotheringham!
• I love the text by award-winning Anna Crowley Redding – lyrical…filled with action and word play!

And remember I promised that Anna would be stopping by? Here she is to share some words of wisdom about writing.

ANNA: I would say one of the most important parts of putting this book together… was feedback and support from critique partners like you! I think that readers don’t often realize how many drafts/readings/revisions/reimaginings we go through… and that’s BEFORE an editor sees it. It’s a wonderful process that not only strengthens the book, but the writer, and the overall writing community as well!

Thank you so much, Anna! 

Here’s a little bit about this amazing author:

Anna Crowley Redding’s riveting young adult nonfiction books Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World and Google It: A History of Google (How Two Students’ Quest to Organize the Internet Changed the World)  pull back the curtain to bring us the stories behind big tech. Receiving critical acclaim, these books were named a Best STEM Book of 2019 and 2020 by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and her biography on Elon was added to Bank Street’s prestigious list of Best Children’s Books for 2020.  Both are translated into Russian and Czech.

 

Her debut picture book Rescuing the Declaration of Independence: How We Almost Lost the Words That Built America  (Harper Collins/2020) follows the courageous and completely forgotten tale of a heroic effort to save America’s founding documents from British torches during the War of 1812. This fall, Anna will welcome Chowder Rules! The True Story of An Epic Food Fight. This is the hilarious true story of one man’s quest to keep tomatoes out of his clam chowder. His move to make it illegal to plunk tomatoes into chowder sparked a nationwide food fight that even ensnared baseball great Joe DiMaggio!

Before diving into the deep end of writing for children and teens, Anna became an Emmy-award winning investigative television reporter and journalist. The recipient of multiple Edward R. Murrow awards and recognized by the Associated Press for her reporting, Anna is thrilled to now focus her stealthy detective skills on digging up great stories for young readers! Keep up with Anna on her website and blog!

Bookshop https://annacrowleyredding.com/blog/

Blog https://bookshop.org/shop/annacrowleyredding

Read Aloud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=178l1qom79E

 

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Photo courtesy: https://www.dltk-kids.com/usa/mdeclaration.htm

MAKE YOUR OWN PARCHMENT

For detailed instructions:For  https://www.dltk-kids.com/usa/mdeclaration.htm

Great website with coloring pages and all types of info and activities for kids:

https://kids-clerk.house.gov/young-learners/lesson.html?intID=29

 

For more Perfect Picture Book Friday reviews and activities, please stop by Susanna Hill’s blog.

If you’d like to help Anna and Edwin celebrate the launch of this book, why not

• Buy the book if you can
• Review the book
• Tell your friends about the book
• Share the post on Social Media (although FB is still blocking my WordPress posts, but we can share to Twitter and Pinterest and Instagram…and you can share your Twitter posts to Facebook)

I hope you are all hanging in there. The daffodils are blooming – I’m sharing a photo of the VERY FIRST daffodil of the season here is Amherst, NH, as well as a few other encouraging signs of spring. Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! I’ll be reading FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN to a preschool in Newton, MA. Will you be doing anything special for Earth Day?