Washington D.C. From A-Z

March 1, 2018

Gr 1-4-Short entries arranged alphabetically and accompanied by comical illustrations present snippets of information about the geography, architecture, and history of the U.S. capital. For example, the letter "C" includes information on the Capitol building, the famous cherry trees, the compromise of 1790, the Washington Cathedral, and Arlington National Cemetery, and features an inset quote from Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. The colorful pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations add interest and amusing details to each page-the Library of Congress constructed out of books, the Capitol as a bathtub, the Mint made of money, and the National Archives as an overflowing attic. Witty, irreverent quotes and tidbits of information poke fun at politics, politicians, and other amusing historical aspects of the city. In the end, the author points to Washington and its symbols as fundamentally linked to the image of the United States and an ever-changing, important part of U.S. citizens. This book would not necessarily serve well as a major source for a research paper, but the details presented could very well spark interest in some aspect of the metropolis and lead to further investigation. VERDICT A entertaining look at the U.S. capital and a general addition to geography collections.-Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2018
As with Ben Franklin (2011) and Abe Lincoln (2015), Schroeder and O'Brien employ the alphabet to pair lesser-known tidbits with humorous ink-and-watercolor caricatures to, in this case, present some of the people, places, and politics associated with the nation's capital.Although each letter has multiple entries, some are relegated to a half page while others are assigned two. There are interesting choices for "X," such as the panda Mei Xiang, and the X-1 and X-15 planes in the Air and Space Museum. Humans include Benjamin Banneker, the African-American surveyor of the district's boundaries, and Glenn Sundby, the white acrobat who descended the Washington Monument steps on his hands. A claw-footed, Capitol-shaped bathtub whimsically highlights 1860 amenities in the dusty building's basement. Some details are summarized to the point of misleading; for instance, the statement that when black contralto Marian Anderson was barred from singing in Constitution Hall, she "simply changed the venue" is not accurate. (Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband intervened to procure the Lincoln Memorial.) Also, it is not possible to verify the rumor that underground tunnels stretch from the Capitol to the White House, as O'Brien depicts them. Quotes from figures as diverse as Shirley Chisholm, Groucho Marx, and Dan Quayle provide additional perspectives.Quibbles aside, this will find a receptive audience with trivia buffs, tourists, and residents of all ages. (Informational picture book. 6-12)

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