Scrambled States of America
- Book Review,
by Laurie Keller
Amazon.com
One day, Kansas wakes up grumpy. The other 49 states are stretching, yawning, and pouring maple syrup onto each other's pancakes, but irritable Kansas announces to his kindly neighbor Nebraska that life is dull and changes must be made: "All day long we just sit here in the middle of the country. We never GO anywhere. We never DO anything, and we NEVER meet any NEW states!" Nebraska, sick of hearing North Dakota and South Dakota bicker all the time, agrees to help organize a party for all the states. It's a hit! Late into the evening, Idaho and Virginia get up onto the stage and suggest that all the states change places. What a state of affairs. Minnesota, who switches places with Florida, gets a sunburn. Kansas, having traded places with Hawaii, gets lonely and sings some soggy blues so sad that a shark sheds a mournful tear offshore. Nevada and Mississippi fall in love. Despite the initial excitement, the new arrangement just doesn't feel right. The states manage to swim, fly, bike, and hitchhike their way home, and everyone goes to bed in the right place--even Kansas is happy to be home after such an adventure. This wacky, thoroughly engaging tale of mixed-up geography is a good bet for some awards. Perhaps best of all, the large format and riot of detail allow for plenty of amusing asides. Books that claim to "make geography fun" usually have to be taken with a dose of skepticism: so often, the teaching is there and the entertainment isn't. This delightfully quirky and original book shows how it should be done. (Ages 4 and older) --Richard Farr
From Publishers Weekly
"Keller endows each of the 50 states with a unique personality and, as all of them develop a case of wanderlust, she presents geography lessons as clever quips exchanged across state lines," said PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 4-9. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-A geography lesson par excellence, this clever picture book also offers great extension opportunities for the classroom. Through the voice of Uncle Sam, Keller suggests that the individual states of America have become tired of their physical positions and bored with their contiguous partners. So they decide to switch: Arizona, for example, trades places with South Carolina, Florida with Minnesota, and Kansas with Hawaii. Before long, however, they discover, as Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz, that there's no place like home, and they all return, amid much mayhem, to their original spots. In following their journeys, children will not only become involved in their stories but will also learn a lot about the "the good old U.S. of A." Keller's imaginative story, her pop-art illustrations that sprawl in and around the text, and her amusing asides will have kids quickly chiming in with sayings of their own. The clever personifications of the states will stimulate students to research the individual characteristics of their own homes, as well as those of the other states. A graphic fact chart is appended along with a montage of funny cartoons that show mixed-up sites and mascots, as Kansas sunflowers cross the Golden Gate Bridge, Florida oranges race Kentucky Derby horses, and the Statue of Liberty greets the faces on Mt. Rushmore.Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Parents' Choice®
It takes an obsessive brand of wackiness to bring off a picture book whose protagonists are the fifty states of America. In this first picture book by Laurie Keller, she manages to succeed in making her young audience acquire a pretty good idea of where each state is. She even gets the young reader to watch with suspense the budding romance between Mississippi and Nevada. At story's end, there are four pages of the states, pictured alphabetically, listing each state's size, capital, population and square mileage. This entertaining educational tool won't be to every child's liking, but those on its wavelength are likely to turn to it again and again.
From Booklist
Ages 5^-8. Once upon a time, Kansas and Nebraska had a party. All the states came, put on name tags, and made friends. Soon they decided to change places with one another. Although the switch started out as an adventure, it ended up with a lot of unhappy states: Minnesota was sunburned, Florida was freezing, and Kansas was lonely and seasick out in the middle of the Pacific. So they all went back home, where they compared notes with their neighbors. The book ends with two large spreads featuring each smiling state, its capital, area, population, and nickname. The idea is original and the writing clever, but much of the book's fun comes in the illustrations, which depict the characters as distinctively state-shaped entities with expressive faces and tiny lines for arms and legs. Bright colors, humorous cartoon-style comments from the states, and the tongue-in-cheek tone of the text add appeal for the intended audience as well as for the adults who may be reading aloud. A lighthearted, yet informative introduction to 50 states. Carolyn Phelan
From Kirkus Reviews
Imagine the states, Kansas, California, Ohio, and all the rest, as people with toothy grins, ping-pong balls for eyes, pipe cleaner limbs, and full-blown personalities. Imagine, then, that they get together at a party and decide to switch places on the map. In this amusing spoof, Kansas wakes up one morning saying, ``I'm not feeling happy at all!'' and starts the whole thing. Florida goes to Minnesota, California goes to Wisconsin, Nevada and Mississippi fall in love. Then the trouble starts: Alaska, who had missed company, feels claustrophobic among other states; Kansas finds his place in the middle of the ocean to be a bit too quiet; Minnesota, in Florida's spot, forgets to pack suntan lotion; and so on. Soon the states are rushing back to their original spots with sighs of relief. Keller, in her first book pushes a silly idea, to great lengths, and will elicit laughs from all those who thought geography was boring. The states are colorful, boastful, belligerent, and charming, in collage illustrations that are full of spontaneous asides and intriguing labels. The states appear in a final gallery, with a few statistics to square off the whole funny enterprise. (Picture book. 8-10) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Book Description
A wacky cross-country adventure starring the fifty states!
"Well, it was just your basic, ordinary day in the good old U. S. of A. States all over the country were waking up, having their first cups of coffee, reading the morning paper, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise.
All the states, that is, except for Kansas."
At the first annual "states party," Virginia and Idaho hatch a plan to swap spots so each can see another part of the country. Before the party is over, all the states decide to switch places. In the beginning, every state is happy in its new location. But soon things start to go wrong. Will the states ever unscramble themselves and return to their proper places?
Packed with madcap humor and whimsical illustrations, this quirky story-starring all fifty states-is chock-full of introductory facts and silly antics that will make learning geography as much fun as taking a vacation.
Card catalog description
The states become bored with their positions on the map and decide to change places for a while. Includes facts about the states.
About the Author
Laurie Keller is the illustrator of Marty Frye, Private Eye and Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions. A freelance artist who graduated from Kendall College of Art and Design, Ms. Keller has always felt destined to write a book about the reorganization of the states. In first grade she rearranged her teacher's seating chart to best meet her needs. It was only a matter of time before she moved on to bigger things.
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