Coming June 2012…

Red, White & BOOM!
written by Lee Wardlaw
illustrated by Huy Voun Lee

Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
June 2012/ages 2-5

Lee Wardlaw says:

“I still remember the Fourth of July celebrations of my childhood:
the boom-boom of parade drums reverberating in my chest…
…sticky-sweet watermelon juice trickling down my chin
as I spat seeds at my little brothers…
…stumbling, breathless, out of the cold Pacific
to roll like dogs in the hot beach sand…
…bundled in fishy-smelling sweatshirts
on the deck of my family’s boat,
all of us craning our necks to behold
the burst and bloom
of fireworks overhead…

“On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail:
  ‘…[Independence Day] will be celebrated by succeeding generations
as the great anniversary festival…
It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade,
with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations,
 from one end of this continent to the other,
 from this time forward forevermore.’

“Through the eyes and ears if its youngest citizens,
Red, White and Boom!
salutes and celebrates
our country’s birth
with flags and food and family fun.”

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!