Capital!: Washington D.C. from A to Z

Grade 3-5-A guide to Washington, DC, driven mostly successfully by the alphabet, with bright, folkloric illustrations that are reminiscent of Grandma Moses's work, and with enough detail to keep an incipient young tourist busy on a several-hour journey to the city. The letters are mostly presented on spreads, from A, Air and Space Museum, through X-Y-Z, National Zoo (a bit of a stretch, but these are always tough letters in abecedaries). Each spread offers not only the main illustrations, but also sidebars, cameos, and spots that extend the text. An interesting and timely juxtaposition in today's political climate is the H, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, with the I, the Islamic Center. Each spread has a jingly four-line verse. "G", for Gallaudet University, reads, "In eighteen hundred sixty-four,/President Lincoln signed a law/Providing higher education/For the nonhearing population." "A symphony, cool jazz, ballet,/An opera, or a children's play-/A feast for every taste and age/Awaits you here. Just pick a stage!" describes the Kennedy Center; and, slightly uncomfortably, the verse for the FBI reads, "Who searches for the Ten Most Wanted/And faces terrorists, undaunted?" While these introductions don't contribute much, the accompanying captions for the art offer dates, trivia, and engrossing historical tidbits. Couple this title with Lynn Curlee's Capital (Atheneum, 2003) for a lively, in-depth study of the District.
Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools
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