Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  Beginning with a global view of the Earth when “the land was owned by no one,” Jennifer Thermes dives into American history and the drive to acquire its land, shown by illustrated maps.  She focuses on marginalized people–indigenous, enslaved, immigrants–and how they helped shape history.  The two-page spreads look at a specific year or an era, portraying people and/or maps that show important events and movements of that time.  Includes an afterword about maps and history, a list of sources, and a timeline on the endpapers.  64 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  I am always thrilled to learn of a new Jennifer Thermes book featuring her amazing maps. You could use this one to cover a whole school year of American history, beginning with the author’s note with the assertion that “the stories we tell ourselves about what is happening make us who we are.”  Readers will spend hours poring over her beautiful maps and other complex illustrations of the people who made up the various eras that she writes about so engagingly.

Cons:  Except for a spread about 9/11, the history pretty much ends in the middle of the 20th century.