I Pledge Allegiance

I Pledge Allegiance
by Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson

I Pledge Allegiance
List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $0.99
You Save: $7.00 (88%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-06-03
ISBN: 0763625272
Number of pages: 40
Publisher: Candlewick

Book Reviews of I Pledge Allegiance

Book Review: I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin Jr
Summary: 5 Stars

Very well-written book. It could use more historical information about the topic addressed. For example, the early Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the stiff-arm salute. The Pledge was written (1892) by Francis Bellamy, cousin to an infamous author of the time, Edward Bellamy, and they were both self-proclaimed socialists in the Nationalism movement and promoted military socialism. They wanted government to take over all schools and impose robotic chanting to flags. The Pledge was the origin of the salute of the National Socialist German Workers Party. American socialists (Edward Bellamy teamed with the Theosophical Society) also bear some blame for German socialism's notorious flag symbol, which evolved into overlapping S-letters for socialism under the National Socialist German Workers Party. The Pledge's early salute was not an ancient Roman salute, and the 'ancient Roman salute' myth came from the Pledge Of Allegiance. It is amazing that books don't examine the issue of whether the pledge should be dropped entirely, especially for young children in government schools. The socialist dogma led to the socialist Wholecost: 60 million dead under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 50 million under the Peoples' Republic of China; 20 million under the National Socialist German Workers Party. It might be the most tragic part of world history.

Summary of I Pledge Allegiance

"Finally, here's a picture book that helps young children move beyond rote recitation of the Pledge to find meaning in its language. This is the book parents and teachers have been waiting for." ? BOOKLIST (starred review)

"I led a pigeon to the flag" . . . "and to the wee puppet" . . . "one
nation, and a vegetable" . . . What was that again? Children in the United States have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance since 1892 ? and for about that long, they've found its big words confusing. Now, beloved children's book author Bill Martin Jr (BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?), fellow literacy expert Michael Sampson, and Caldecott Honor-­winning artist Chris Raschka give America's children a hand, and explain this patriotic poem once and for all. A new paperback edition offers notes and suggested activities to help parents and teachers make this book even more interesting to and fun for children.
Whether kids want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or respectfully decline, this straightforward and playfully illustrated guide clears up what the pledge really means--word by word, and line by line.

Two pledge-loving literacy experts (Michael Sampson and Bill Martin, Jr.) and one polite pledge-abstainer (Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Chris Raschka) have come together to explicate America's time-honored oath in plain, kid-friendly language: "I pledge (A pledge is a promise) allegiance to (Allegiance is loyalty) the flag (A flag is a symbol that stands for a place, a thing, or an idea. Making a promise to a flag usually means the same thing as making a promise to whatever the flag stands for.)." Sampson and Martin's annotations adequately convey the essential meaning behind the words, although understandably less so in the thornier sections: "under God (Many people believe that a democracy is a reflection of how God thinks--every single person is important.)"

I Pledge Allegiance also covers some of the history behind the pledge and the flag, but what kids will probably remember best--aside from the pledge itself--is Raschka's clever, winning collage work, which somehow manages to sum up ideas like liberty, justice, and God with a few quick strokes and scraps. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

United States Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in United States Books
A History of US: Book 9: War, Peace, and All that Jazz ImageA History of US: Book 9: War, Peace, and All that Jazz
by Joy Hakim
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1995-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.09
Price in other shops: $10.95
Will Rogers: An American Legend ImageWill Rogers: An American Legend
by Frank Keating
Sandpiper; Published: 2008-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.61
Price in other shops: $7.00
Tituba ImageTituba
by William Miller
Harcourt Children's Books; Published: 2000-10-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $30.00
Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) ImageLives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought)
by Kathleen Krull
Harcourt Children's Books; Published: 1998-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.75
Price in other shops: $21.00
Portraits of African-American Heroes ImagePortraits of African-American Heroes
by Tonya Bolden
Puffin; Published: 2005-12-29; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $11.99
Witnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights ImageWitnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights
by Belinda Rochelle
Puffin; Published: 1997-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.44
Price in other shops: $7.99
Mother Teresa: Sister to the Poor (Women of Our Time) ImageMother Teresa: Sister to the Poor (Women of Our Time)
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Puffin; Published: 1987-05-05; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.50
Price in other shops: $4.99
When Everybody Wore a Hat (Junior Library Guild Selection) ImageWhen Everybody Wore a Hat (Junior Library Guild Selection)
by William Steig
HarperCollins; Published: 2003-04-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.96
Price in other shops: $17.99
York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition (Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) ImageYork's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition (Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards))
by Rhoda Blumberg
HarperCollins; Published: 2004-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.34
Price in other shops: $17.99
History of Us (11 Volume Set) ImageHistory of Us (11 Volume Set)
by Joy Hakim
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2002-11-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $140.00
Price in other shops: $219.45
Similar Books and other products
The White House (Welcome Books: American Symbols) ImageThe White House (Welcome Books: American Symbols)
by Lloyd G. Douglas
Children's Press(CT); Published: 2003-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.86
Price in other shops: $4.95
L Is for Liberty (Reading Railroad Books) ImageL Is for Liberty (Reading Railroad Books)
by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Grosset & Dunlap; Published: 2003-04-14; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.09
Price in other shops: $3.99
Our American Flag (American Symbols) ImageOur American Flag (American Symbols)
by Firestone, Mary
Picture Window Books; Published: 2002-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.92
Price in other shops: $8.95
The Bald Eagle (American Symbols) ImageThe Bald Eagle (American Symbols)
by Pearl, Norman
Picture Window Books; Published: 2002-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.46
Price in other shops: $8.95
The Statue of Liberty (Welcome Books: American Symbols) ImageThe Statue of Liberty (Welcome Books: American Symbols)
by Lloyd G. Douglas
Children's Press(CT); Published: 2003-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.90
Price in other shops: $4.95
The Liberty Bell (Welcome Books: American Symbols) ImageThe Liberty Bell (Welcome Books: American Symbols)
by Lloyd G. Douglas
Children's Press(CT); Published: 2003-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.90
Price in other shops: $4.95
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States ImageWe the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
by David Catrow
Puffin; Published: 2005-04-21; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.42
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Bald Eagle (Welcome Books: American Symbols) ImageThe Bald Eagle (Welcome Books: American Symbols)
by Lloyd G. Douglas
Children's Press(CT); Published: 2003-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.85
Price in other shops: $4.95
F Is For Flag (Reading Railroad Books) ImageF Is For Flag (Reading Railroad Books)
by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Grosset & Dunlap; Published: 2002-04-15; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $3.99
The Pledge of Allegiance ImageThe Pledge of Allegiance
by Scholastic Inc., Scholastic
Scholastic Paperbacks; Published: 2001-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.88
Price in other shops: $5.99
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories