• America: A Book of Opposites by W. Nikola-Lisa. (1997) Ages 0-5
• This dual-language picture book graphically shows the diverse aspects of the U.S., while simple words name the contrasts: hot and cold, high and low, rough and smooth.
• Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong. Pictures by Margaret Chodos-Irvine. (2002) Ages 4-8
• A Chinese-American girl thinks no one eats Chinese food on the Fourth of July, but her parents' restaurant fills with customers, who later join the family to watch fireworks and share apple pie.
• Everybody Brings Noodles by Norah Dooley. Pictures by Peter J. Thornton. (2002) Ages 4-8
• Carrie organizes a block party to celebrate the Fourth of July. Her guests all bring noodle dishes from their particular cultures, then entertain each other at a talent show. Recipes included.
• Grandma Drove the Garbage Truck by Katie Clark. (2006) Ages 3-8
• This book by a Maine author features a plucky grandmother who saves the family garbage business. In the process, she becomes the spotlight of the town's Fourth of July parade.
• Hats Off for the Fourth of July by Harriet Ziefert. Pictures by Gustaf Miller. (2000) Ages 3-6
• The refrain of "Music and drum...music and drum. Who will be the next to come?" fuels the parade in a small town (based on a Massachusetts town that could just as easily be in Maine).
• I Am America by Charles R. Smith Jr. (2003) Ages 3-8
• Photographs of children show incredible diversity, while the accompanying poem celebrates our country's strength and resiliency. Brightly-colored backgrounds guarantee kid appeal.
• I Pledge Allegiance by Michael Sampson & Bill Martin Jr. Pictures by Chris Raschka. (2002) Ages 3-12
• Collage illustrations in red, white, and blue form a background to the Pledge of Allegiance printed in bold type. In smaller print, the authors expound on the meaning behind the Pledge.
• Parade by Donald Crews. (1983) Ages 0-5
• Crews follows a parade from beginning ("No Parking Today!") to end (a city sanitation truck). The spectators are diverse, subtly suggesting the ability of a parade to bring people together.
• This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie. Pictures by Kathy Jakobsen. (1998) Ages 2-8
• Guthrie's familiar folk song is teamed with oil paintings that evoke the 1920s and '30s. Double-page landscapes reflect the verses of the song and show the varied terrain of the United States.

        You can download the booklist as a pdf.