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National Parks: A Kid's Guide to America's Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks
Calling all Junior Rangers! This fun-filled guide explores the wonders and weirdness of more than 75 U.S. parks, monuments, and landmarks, from Acadia to Zion.
From Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty, from Gettysburg National Battlefield to Mount Rushmore, National Parks is the only kid-friendly, family-oriented book that covers all of the 60 U.S. national parks, plus other famous monuments and landmarks. With a lively text and hundreds of color illustrations and photographs throughout, this updated edition offers fascinating, memorable information on every aspect of the parks, such as the history, geography, natural wonders, native wildlife and birds, and unique features that make each park special.
Organized alphabetically by state, National Parks takes readers on a whirlwind trip to 75 locations, including Denali National Park, Hot Springs National Park, Everglades National Park, Fort McHenry, White Mountain National Forest, Ellis Island, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Zion National Park, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, Mt. Hood National Forest, and many more.
From Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty, from Gettysburg National Battlefield to Mount Rushmore, National Parks is the only kid-friendly, family-oriented book that covers all of the 60 U.S. national parks, plus other famous monuments and landmarks. With a lively text and hundreds of color illustrations and photographs throughout, this updated edition offers fascinating, memorable information on every aspect of the parks, such as the history, geography, natural wonders, native wildlife and birds, and unique features that make each park special.
Organized alphabetically by state, National Parks takes readers on a whirlwind trip to 75 locations, including Denali National Park, Hot Springs National Park, Everglades National Park, Fort McHenry, White Mountain National Forest, Ellis Island, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Zion National Park, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, Mt. Hood National Forest, and many more.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 17, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 16, 2021
This is a fact book with multiple pros and cons. In my comments below, "park" refers to parks and monuments and landmarks, etc.
Pros:
The facts were interesting. The 2-3 paragraph background story for each park was interesting. The layout of each page was well done. I frequently referred to the map on the end pages showing where each mentioned park is located. I liked how at least one park was featured for each state/territory of the US.
Cons:
There needed to be better visualization indicating where information on one park ends and the next park begins. Since some were one page and some were two and even some were half a page, I sometimes misunderstood which park was being discussed. The two-page parks had a fact page plus a full-page picture of the park poster. I would much rather have a poster for each park and facts on a facing page. Or get rid of the posters and have one page per park which would also allow more parks to be featured.
For the parks outside of the 50 states, I would have appreciated a map showing where the territory itself is located. Perhaps one of the end pages could be a map of the world and show that rather than repeating the same United States map.
I wish there had been more consistency on the fast facts list. Some parks had the year the park was established and an estimate of the number of visitors each year. Seems like those are stats that could, and should, be given for every park.
I wish most of the pictures had been labeled. For example, in Arches National Park the paragraph talked about numerous features including Devil Dog Spire, Balanced Rock, and Owl Rock, all of which could be the rock formation shown in a picture. But... which one is in the picture?
Pros:
The facts were interesting. The 2-3 paragraph background story for each park was interesting. The layout of each page was well done. I frequently referred to the map on the end pages showing where each mentioned park is located. I liked how at least one park was featured for each state/territory of the US.
Cons:
There needed to be better visualization indicating where information on one park ends and the next park begins. Since some were one page and some were two and even some were half a page, I sometimes misunderstood which park was being discussed. The two-page parks had a fact page plus a full-page picture of the park poster. I would much rather have a poster for each park and facts on a facing page. Or get rid of the posters and have one page per park which would also allow more parks to be featured.
For the parks outside of the 50 states, I would have appreciated a map showing where the territory itself is located. Perhaps one of the end pages could be a map of the world and show that rather than repeating the same United States map.
I wish there had been more consistency on the fast facts list. Some parks had the year the park was established and an estimate of the number of visitors each year. Seems like those are stats that could, and should, be given for every park.
I wish most of the pictures had been labeled. For example, in Arches National Park the paragraph talked about numerous features including Devil Dog Spire, Balanced Rock, and Owl Rock, all of which could be the rock formation shown in a picture. But... which one is in the picture?
February 27, 2022
Seventy-nine (79) U.S. National Parks are profiled in the 2012 book “National Parks: a Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks” authored by Erin McHugh with art by Neal Aspinall. Each profile includes park features, dimensions, must-visit features, and park sight-seeing activities. Also the profiles include statistics about the number of yearly visitors, and miles of hiking trails. In addition, the profiles talk about bird and wildlife populations. Finally, many of the profiles include a brief description of “amazing but true” park facts as well as adjacent sites that are open for visitors to the States of the profiled National Parks. The book is well written; and the art work in each profile is beautiful. (P)
April 16, 2019
It's an easy read with wonderful artwork of each park. It's an enjoyable read for kids to check out from the library to learn about the country vast diversity in environments and get excited about the outdoors.
August 12, 2020
This definitely gave me a lot of new places to put on the travel list! Unfortunately, the writing and editing leave a lot to be desired. More disappointing, there is a great deal of sanitization and even erasure of the history and displacement of the indigenous populations of these places.
October 2, 2019
Great book! Very informative! Ready to go on a road trip to national parks now!
Read
June 27, 2020Dnf
July 4, 2020
The graphic in this book are wonderful. Lot of them old Posters of the Parks
May 30, 2021
Once I figured out that the book is just about selected national parks and that the others are listed, I really enjoyed it. Very interesting information, trivia, etc and birds!
January 26, 2023
Great illustrations, format, and information. Not just for kids. Useful for adults, too, to plan family trips to national parks and historical sites.
May 28, 2023
Selective so incomplete. Loved the vintage posters though.
January 7, 2024
Beautiful book; unfortunately, this won’t circulate in my library.
August 16, 2012
I LOVE this book. I like going to National Parks. I also like looking at pretty posters. I also like fun facts. This book has ALL those things. The Parks are listed according to what state or territory they are located in. (I know, aren't you impressed that it has the National Parks in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, or the like? Who knew!) Also they have these great posters/illustrations that look like fun retro posters that must have been used by the National Parks once upon a time (the note says they "were originally produced between 1938 and 1941"). But some of them are pretty enough I would want to hang them up somewhere. The only sad part about this book is that now I have quite a few more places to plan on going on vacation. Not a bad thing itself...just that I don't have enough vacation time to do all of them next year. Fun book!
February 5, 2014
This is a very fun book! It is nicely set up, with lots of images and various facts, including Ranger Facts, quotes, a Great American Birdwatch, and "Amazing But True!" information. There are some really neat posters of the parks, which are said to be based on a series created during the Great Depression Era by WPA artists. Parks, monuments, and historic sites are featured, with at least one from each state, and those on territories including Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Very nice.
February 27, 2013
Bautifully illustrated look at America's national parks laid out state by state. Includes a look at parks by the numbers, and amazing but true facts. A wonderful resource for kids, or just really cool book to peruse.
"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." -From the 1964 Wilderness Act
"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." -From the 1964 Wilderness Act
October 16, 2012
This book has wonderful illustrations and fun facts. It also includes artwork from original promotional posters from the 1930s and 1940s.
March 15, 2013
Every state is listed with at least one National Park/et al. listed.
August 13, 2016
Fun for a road trip. If I win the lottery (or become independently wealthy in any fashion,) I would travel to each of these parks.
September 21, 2023
A great overview with wonderful graphics and photos. I learned a lot!
July 31, 2013
I enjoyed this as much as my kids did. We were always going, "Did you know?" to each other.
April 9, 2017
Great book with wonderful illustrations. I'll probably purchase it for my grandkids but I just might keep it for myself.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews