Book review

My Mother in law gave the kids some books dealing with American History written by Lynne Cheney. I thought I would look over them this morning just to get an idea of the content. I was pleasantly surprised that the books were very easy to read and very well illustrated. The first one is called "We the People the story of our Constitution"
I have never been very strong in remembering my American History. I was telling my mother in law last night it was not something I was overly interested in... until recently. With the Presidential election looming just over a month away, and all that is happening in our great US of A it has come to my attention that this is certainly the not first time our great country has been in peril.
As I was reading this book I got to thinking about all that went into the writing of the constitution. The time and energy of the great minds; Washington, Madison, Franklin and others who wrote the document that has shaped our nation for over 200 years. The part that stood out to me in the book was when Cheney wrote about Benjamin Franklin, and how after much time and quarreling he wanted to send for a Chaplin to lead them in prayer. "How has it happened... that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings?"
Wow. What an amazing statement... I would love to see our current government take such a stand.
I would highly recommend this book for all who want to teach their younger children about the American Constitution. It really made me think about how our country was formed by this particular document.
The other book I read this morning was also by Cheney called "When Washington crossed the Delaware" Now I am familiar enough with the story to know the basics. This book however, really made me think about all that Washington and his men went through to make that historical journey. The book is just detailed enough to show their hardships but is still appropriate for younger readers.
This was another book that got me thinking about the situation today. Our country has been through, and is going though so much, and yet we are still here. Mostly due in part to these great men who fought for the rights we take for granted today.
I learned much from this simple child's book. I learned about the strength of the early American people, and how that compares to our Military today. I learned that determination and grit, can see our country though hard times. We may have to sacrifice, but America will continue to stand strong, even in light of our current political situation. I was also reminded that sometimes we need to go back and look at our history to see our future.
There are several books by Cheney on Amazon.com, and I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to teach their children about American history. I am looking forward to reading "A time for freedom" which goes into much detail about our history.
Anyway I just thought all this seemed relevant to some of the events that were happening today, and thought I would post my thoughts.
Hats of to my mother in law for finding these books... I know she and these books will be treasured in our house for a long time.