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I Pledge Allegiance Review

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.

I Pledge Allegiance Overview

Divides the Pledge of Allegiance into words and phrases in order to define its meaning.

I Pledge Allegiance Specifications

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

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Customer Reviews

I Pledge Allegiance - L. Miller -
Wonderful Book! This is a great way to teach little kids what the meaning of the flag is to our great country. My 5 year old and 2 year old are already reciting the pledge.

It already has 50 stars - MEJ - Cowlesville, NY
I think this is a nice book to teach a child the pledge of allegiance and to explain to them what the pledge means. This book breaks down the meaning of each word and explains them in a way that children can understand. It gives the history of the pledge, a little about the flag, what to do while saying the pledge and touches on what this great country is all about. From other reviews I have read, it appears that Francis Bellamy, who authored the pledge, did not include the line "...under God". Nonetheless, it was included in this book and is the version of the pledge that I recited every morning during my school years...and it is the version I will teach my daughter.

Noble try. - -
The goal--nicely attempted--of breaking down each line of this too-difficult-for-the-kids-who-have-to-say-it speech falls short.

While they explain the large words in kid-friendly phrases and credit Francis Bellamy, they make the significant omission of the fact that Bellamy DID NOT write the phrase "under God," and that it was added without his permission. The text says, "Many people believe that a democracyis a reflection of how God thinks..." without mentioning that the pledge, in its current form, misquotes its author.

A book that is designed to clear things up should be more accurate. Nonetheless, the illustrations are eye-catching and the language accessible to kids. It's a good idea to give them a better understanding than their often-quoted, "I led the pigeons to the flag..."

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 09, 2010 16:42:04

Children's Books

Thursday, September 9, 2010