Take a tour of America's great outdoors and discover the beauty and diversity of its most iconic and majestic national parks. Explore Florida's river-laced Everglades, travel down the white water rapids of the Grand Canyon, trek across the deserts of Death Valley and scale the soaring summits of the Rocky Mountains with this book that brings you up close to nature's greatest adventures. Packed with maps and fascinating facts about the flora and fauna unique to each park, this fully-illustrated coast-to-coast journey documents the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places—and shows why they should be preserved for future generations to enjoy. With maps and information about flora and fauna found in each of the 21 icon parks portrayed, this is a fantastic celebration of the great outdoors.
Parks include: Acadia, Badlands, Big Bend, Biscayne, Bryce Canyon, Channel Islands, Death Valley, Denali, Everglades, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky, Mountains, Hawaii volcanoes, Isle Royal, Mesa Verde, Olympic, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone and Yosemite.
Kate Siber is a freelance journalist and a correspondent for Outside magazine living in Durango, Colorado. Her writing has also been featured in National Geographic Traveler, National Parks, Preservation, Men’s Journal, The New York Times, and many other publications.
Came across this book when it was sent to my library. I got completely lost in the pages and the pictures. So much information too! But presented in a fun and aesthetically pleasing way. For the kid (or adult) interested in National Parks and species, this is the book to buy!
3.5★ "Get ready for a big adventure! On your journey through the national parks, you’ll find mind-boggling wonders, from the continent’s biggest peak to a mile-deep canyon, dark swamps filled with critters, and volcanoes that pelt lava straight into the sea. Creatures big and small abound in these wild lands, from thundering bison to tiny seahorses. The parks protect some of America’s most spectacular landscapes, wild animals, and precious plants."
The font used is artistic and pretty, but I think it might be hard for young readers to decipher. And I'm not sure the lack of photographs and the colours used in the illustrations will actually inspire children to want to visit the parks.
Having said that, this would be a lovely book for anyone who's already visited some of the parks. Without meaning to belittle the artwork, this is more the kind of thing I've seen in high-quality tourist brochures that are sold or given to visitors with maps and guides. In other words, a souvenir of what they have seen, or are about to see, in real life.
The artwork is a unique, flat style with a limited palette of colours, depending on the landscape. I say limited, because these beautiful places are far brighter and less subdued than the illustrations show.
I know, I know, there's the internet of all things and images and someone can show the real pictures to children. But if this is meant to introduce children to the wonders of the US National Parks, I think they need to see the natural beauty, not a stylised interpretation.
The real Grand Canyon and Yosemite are much more colourful and spectacular than these illustrations would suggest. And "suggest" is what they do.
The marine environments are blues and greens, the southwest is reds and rusts, the mountain country is browns and dark greens. Each section of the country is introduced with a map of the country and inserts where the parks are for each section (Eastern, Central, etc). I was pleased to see the Virgin Islands and Hawaii there, since I (like many, I imagine), think of parks you can drive to. Silly, I know.
There is a full-page illustration for each, often including a few people for scale, and then there is a following page featuring some wildlife, plants, weeds, poisonous creatures and such.
The information is enough to raise awareness and conversations, and the details may send older kids to look for more. There's a big index and a wildlife quiz at the end.
It is very pretty. I'll include some illustrations at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing / Wide-Eyed Editions for a copy for review.
This a wonderfully illustrated book about the national park system in the United States. Just look at these pictures below.
Each section of the US is profiled, with more in depth factoids about three or four parks in each section. The sections are East (as in East Coast), Central (as in the Flyover states), Rocky Mountains, South west, Pacific Coast, (known here as the West), Alaska and the Tropics, which include Hawaii and the Virgin Island.
Enjoyed learning about the parks, some of which I was unfamiliar with.
This could be a great resource in the classroom, as well as in the home.
I've given this five stars, but, it should probably be 4 3/4 stars, because there are two things that make it just short of perfect.
Of the two problems, one I hope will be fixed before publication, and the other that should be fixed in a future edition. The first is that they put the wrong date for the founding of Yosemite. This book says it was 1980. In reality, it was 1890. The second problem is that in speaking about the National Park at the American Virgin Islands, it does not say which island it is on. It is on the Island of St. John. It makes a difference, because there are four major islands in the chain .
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Oh, how I love this book! The beautiful illustrations and poetic text make it a joy for any age group to read. I feel as if I’ve spent heady days in National Parks I’ve never visited ... and come out a better person for it. 5 Clapping Cacti!
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for the ARC. Opinions are mine.
This is aimed at young readers, but I learned so much about various national parks in the U.S.
The book is divided into regions. You don’t get every park in the region. Siber highlights well known parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone and some I wasn’t familiar with like Channel Islands and Olympic. Each park has flora and fauna highlighted. Many of the animals and plants are endemic to specific parks.
Azaria and I took turns reading and we would often look up pictures and videos of the locations. I definitely hope this is the first of similar titles by this author.
I literally gasped when I took this book out of the box. The cover is gorgeous and textured, with an embossed title. The artwork is stunning throughout. Packed with fun facts about national parks. A must-have book for a road-trip with kids.
I received a free copy of, National Parks of the USA, by Katie Siber, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a great book on the national parks, I have only been to a couple of them sadly. This has great information about the national parks.
National Parks of the U.S.A. is a wonderful collection of facts and intricate, textured illustrations highlighting some of the more popular national parks in the United States.
The book focuses on one region of the United States at a time, showing a blurb of each national park and where it's located on the map, and then features some of the more notable ones with a double-page spread of a larger illustration and summary, followed by another double-page spread with more details and tidbits about the park's interesting features, such as animals, plants, geologic formations, weather, Native American history, and more.
Many of the more popular parks are featured, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Denali, Death Valley, the Badlands, etc. I was also glad to see my home state of Maine featured by way of Acadia.
Even though I'm kind of a homebody, this book made me want to travel! It's a great way for kids to learn more about the amazing natural wonders of our country, as well as some of the history of their preservation.
National Parks of the USA is a visually stunning guide for young readers! The parks are divided by region and each feature includes the state/territory, founding year, and acreage. The crisp and modern graphic design layout includes wildlife/plant species native to the area, natural phenomena, and interesting facts. This is an excellent book for young readers beginning to show an interest in nature and our national park system filled with brief but exciting descriptions and lovely artwork. Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group/Wide Eyed Editions and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Wide Eyed Editions for giving me a free copy of this delightful book!
As a home-body overly fond of air conditioning, I have to say: Can I go hiking now? This book is a marvelous collection of tidbits about the national parks and the history, plant life, and animals that populate them. I felt like I was learning new things during every information session. The language used is playful and fun, with little prompts and challenges for the reader that would engage young ones looking through this book. The illustrations are gorgeous and colorful, and I love that there's a sort of eye-spy section at the end.
Overall, this was awesome. I already put it on the Christmas list for my nieces.
My only very tiny critique is that some of the text was hard to read (dark text over a dark background), but since I was reading a digital copy that might not be an issue in the printed version.
This book about the national park system in the United States is packed full of information. It is beautifully illustrated with maps, pictures etc. Each section of the US is profiled, and then a few parks in each area are profiled with more facts about plants, animals, some climate and other interesting facts. The USA is divided into the following sections: East (East Coast), Central (the Flyover states), Rocky Mountains, South west, West, (Pacific Coast), Alaska and the Tropics (Hawaii and the Virgin Islands). I enjoyed learning more about the National Parks and have picked out a few places I would like to visit. This book could be used prior to a vacation to plan a trip, when teaching about protecting our environment as well as just to learn more about the US. This would be a good book for a public or school library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
This is a beautifully illustrated and informative guide that brings America’s most iconic natural treasures to life. The book does a fantastic job of combining engaging text with vibrant artwork, making it equally enjoyable for both adults and children.
What I Loved: 💜The illustrations are stunning—colorful, detailed and filled with personality. They make the parks feel inviting and adventurous. 💜Each park is presented with bite-sized facts, wildlife highlights and unique features, which makes the book easy to flip through while still learning a lot. 💜The tone is warm and accessible, making it a great family read or an inspiring introduction for kids interested in nature and travel.
Where It Falls Short: 👎🏿While the content is captivating, it is more of a broad introduction than a detailed travel guide. Readers looking for in-depth information, maps or planning tips may find it lacking. 👎🏿It has so much info on one page which could have been spreaded on more pages with better clarity. 👎🏿A few parks feel like they could have been given more space and detail compared to others.
Overall: This is a delightful, educational and visually striking book that captures the spirit of America’s national parks. It works as an inspiring overview rather than a practical guide and for that purpose, it shines. A solid 4-star introductory read for anyone who loves nature, exploration and beautifully crafted books.
I didn’t read the whole book before it was due back at the library but of the little I did read, it was quite informative with bright and colorful illustrations.
I loved this book with it's wonderfully illustrations and text. (I did email the publisher bc my husband found an unfortunate typo on pg. 70. Yosemite was founded in 1890 and not 1980!)
This is a very well planned out book, giving an outlook of National Parks of the USA with a concentration on what appears to be younger readers and those who have never been to the parks. The photos and layout are visually appealing and are pleasant to look at.
The author does a great job explaining the different parts of the country, and how all included parks fall into different continents of the country. Once we enter the different continents, the author breaks down each of the parks within including the wildlife that can be potentially found in each park.
I think the content included in this book is well organized and generally well presented. However, the connected letters font that has been used for the main headers of the book is so distracting it’s hard to get through. It’s not even cursive, just a modern version of what it may look like if we ever pushed it again in society. I really found it hard to read through. It just takes up too much real estate in the book for it not to be distracting.
I love visiting National Parks and have been a proud pass holder for many years. This book is nice but didn’t hit it out of the ball park for me. I like the art style of the illustrations but was disappointed the book wasn’t more comprehensive. My home state of Utah has five National Parks, (one of the reasons I get yearly passes), and yet only one was featured in the book. The book does give the state, year founded and size of parks covered. But the focus is more on flora and fauna that may be seen in the parks. And this is a mini concern but a plain cursive font is used for an introductory paragraph for each National Park. Cursive is no longer taught in my school district. So this just makes it harder for newer and younger readers to read the book. I was hoping to learn more specific facts about individual parks. I still think kids will happily thumb through the pages but it wasn’t as informative as I expected.
We are in love with this book! So wonderfully done. This book was created for students but families can really enjoy and use this book at home as well. I love how packed it is with simple and easy to understand information, helping us learn while having fun. The parks are divided into regions and each park has stunning illustrations that really catch your attention. We found the parks our family has been to; Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon and we live in the Great Smoky Mountains. This is a book families can use as they travel and discover these amazing national parks for themselves. It is also great for those who are unable to travel to discover our country's beautiful National Parks themselves. This would also be a wonderful guide to use in classrooms, the possibilities are endless.
This book is fantastic! The information is interesting, thorough and laid out in smaller increments in a very logical easy to follow manner. The artwork is amazing, page after page! I would highly recommend this book for nature-loving children or families that travel to National Parks. I think this is a must-have for elementary school libraries!
This is such a beautiful and educational book! Reading this has strengthened my interest in revisiting some national parks I've been to, and visiting parks I haven't been to!
I received an advance reader's copy of this book from NetGalley and the book's publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful.
Beautiful illustrations, but better for a kid learning about the parks, but not necessarily going to them. It wasn't as informative about the history and the geography of each park and was more focused on specific flora and fauna. Additionally, it didn't even cover all of the parks? It only covered about 15 or so? Of the 60? So I wish it had covered all of them or done it in volumes?
I received a preview digital copy of National Parks of the USA by Kate Siber. A lovely first look at National Parks for children. It includes many of the well-known parks with common facts along with some lesser known ones.
The layout of the book is easy to follow with maps of regions then each park being given a two-page spread. The art work is wonderfully done with the area’s landscape colors being primarily used. The animals and landmarks are realistically drawn, but I would have enjoyed seeing some photographs too. Children may not have that preference. The text is clearly written for third grade or higher to read independently. The way the author included more of the senses in the descriptions was exceptional; not just what you would see, but also hear and smell too.
After this close look at National Park, I have no doubt children will be asking to visit the one that caught their interest. It would be a great addition to a classroom library but also one for a child’s personal one, too.
The publisher through Net Galley provided an ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.
Access: downloaded through Netgalley for free in exchange for honest review.
Review:
A great offline Wikipedia pages about each state park with an artistic twist. The illustrations are engaging and fun to look at. The cursive may be hard for students who aren't accustomed to reading / writing in cursive. But it's done well enough that kids should be able to puzzle out what is being said.
This offline Wikipedia pages are styled in a scrap book fashion. Each state park is introduced with a vignette that is colorful and appealing for readers. Usually I prefer books for kids with actual photography but this can slide through as it's super adorable.
Recommend? Yes - definitely good for a classroom setting, road tripping or just for a gift.
3.5 stars rated up because I just love the National Parks so much. This is a beautiful book - perfect for coffee tables/casual reading - that I'm not sure belongs in our Juvenile collection. The cursive font at the overview of each park can be difficult to read, and if I was struggling at times, I'm sure children would, too. Also, I found at least one factual error - Yosemite was established in 1890, not 1980. Aside from these, this really is a nice collection, beautifully illustrated.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Being born and raised in the foothills of The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, I’ve always had a love of nature and appreciation of the National Parks. This book is beautifully illustrated and gives so much fun, educational information on all the National Parks. The book breaks it down by region in the US, and discusses the National Parks within those regions. I love that it gives historical information, as well as facts about plant and wildlife found in that particular area. This would be a wonderful addition to any classroom or children’s library!
This is a beautifully illustrated book which is full of fascinating facts and little known information about of the wide variety of national parks which cover the 50 states of America. Each page is covered by an aray of exquisite pictoral representations of the particular park and the inhabitants both floral and fauna that are within it. This is a book primarily aimed at children and it is a perfect way to educate them on one of America's national treasures but is also perfect for adults who want to learn about it to and in a visually appealing way. This is book suitable for all who wish to learn about America's national parks in spectacularly designed book.
I initially just grabbed this from the library to flip through with the kids over the weekend and I ended up reading every word cover to cover in a little under a day. Works as a children's reference book or a coffee table book. Put it on your kid's coffee table!
Fact-filled and beautifully illustrated! National Parks of the USA takes you on a tour of the National Parks throughout the country. If you can't visit the parks in person, then this book is a great introduction to the wide range of beauty the United States’ offers.