This Land is Your Land (Book and CD)

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful pictures and important concepts
Review: My almost 5 year old son really is enjoying this book. He loves the pictures, and has learned the song and sings it often. Although I was not sure how he would react to some of the pictures of homelessness and hungry people, it has turned out to be a real conversation starter for us to talk about those tough subjects in a compassionate and non-scary way. I have always loved this song, and this book really does it justice.

Rating:
Summary: A real kick!
Review: My children love "singing" books and this is one that should be sung more often and with great gusto! The illustrations are wonderul and display the diversity that is so prominient in the American landscape. We selected it as a gift for family friends who have two sons with Korean heritage, now American citizens. We also utilized it for a 4th of July celebration and it was very well received by multi-age children. It also has great appeal from an adult perspective...love the page toward the back with all of the various artists on stage...picking out the places I have traveled and those which still call to me....

Rating:
Summary: A real kick!
Review: My children love "singing" books and this is one that should be sung more often and with great gusto! The illustrations are wonderul and display the diversity that is so prominient in the American landscape. We selected it as a gift for family friends who have two sons with Korean heritage, now American citizens. We also utilized it for a 4th of July celebration and it was very well received by multi-age children. It also has great appeal from an adult perspective...love the page toward the back with all of the various artists on stage...picking out the places I have traveled and those which still call to me....

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: My daughter received this book as a present when she was 2 years old. I thought it was "too old" for her, but it quickly became her favorite. Not only does she love the song (we sing it at least once every night before bed) but she also loves the intricate illustrations and looking for Woody and his guitar. There are many nights when I get all choked up hearing a 2 year old born in China and now a U.S. citizen singing "This land is your land, this land is my land" and saying "I love you, Woody!". I recommend this book for the young and old alike.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: My sons 3 and 5 really enjoy this book and singing along. One word of caution the CD that comes with the book, although enjoyable, does not follow the book words. It is a classic book and the illustrations and tune are memorable and something I am proud to share with my children.

Rating:
Summary: A lovely book for kids of all ages who share Woody's vision
Review: My wife and I just returned from a long trip through the Southwest and southern Rockies. En route home to Florida we stopped off in Okemah, Oklahoma, Woody's home town, and it was there I discovered this beautiful book. It is, I suppose, a children's book, and I thought at first that I might give it to my grandchildren, but the combination of exquisite art work and well-chosen Woody-words is to good to give up. Solution: I plan to buy several copies as Christmas presents not only for my grandkids but for my friends' kids as well. If you're a fan of Woody's, or just love truly beautiful, warm-hearted childrens' books, you will want to do the same.

Rating:
Summary: As I was walking that ribbon of highway I saw
Review: the beautiful illustrations in this book. Incredibly detailed and accurate, yet with a cuddle-up picture book feel. Comforting familiar words and amazing illustrations make you more aware of the meaning behind the song you learned in elementary school.

Rating:
Summary: Reading as multimedia experience, even for the littlest ones
Review: This book is one of my 18-month-old daughter's favorite books. She loves to hear me sing the song, loves to look at all the pictures, loves to look for Woody with his checked shirt and guitar. The message of the song, plus all the folk song and labor history, makes this a keeper for our household.

Rating:
Summary: Must Have
Review: This has always been a favorite song of mine and it's great to share it with my daughter, along with the beautiful illustrations. We love to sing along with our books, and this one is a real winner!

Rating:
Summary: This book is made for you and me
Review: What a wonderful book! Woody Guthrie's simple but evocative lyrics (with all of the original verses restored) are brilliantly set off by the marvelous folk art oil paintings of Kathy Jakobsen.
Jakoben's artwork is what will draw you into the book. Double page landscapes depict the plains, the desert, and the dust blown wheat fields of Oklahoma. All four seasons are beautifully rendered as well. There are cityscapes (including a striking New York City with the Twin Towers still standing) and idyllic country landscapes. The Golden Gate Bridge, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Brooklyn Bridge, St. Louis Gateway Arch, Old Faithful, Seattle Space Needle, and Coney Island, among others, are American landmarks that pepper the pages of the book.
And the figure of Woody with his guitar wanders through all of them as our great American troubadour. (My kids play a game of lets find Woody on every page.)
The layout of the book keeps it endlessly interesting for both children and adults. Most of the verses are depicted with a double page painting, while the repeating chorus takes two pages that split into multiple scenes of Americana. In the Four Corners of these pages are small quotes from Guthrie's other song lyrics and writings. Children are captured by the bright and simple artwork, while adults can become lost within the multiple possibilities that are offered on every page.
This great American anthem of the common man and his love of the land, "made for you and me", receives a truly worthy treatment in this book. It is both a favorite of my pre-school children, and one of my most cherished books. Even if you don't have kids, it would make a fine book to put out on your coffee table to delight your guests with its many charms.