A Is for Appalachia shares the heritage of Appalachia with children

A is for Appalachia: The Alphabet Book
of Appalachian Heritage

I grabbed a new book for story time with the kiddos last night that had been on the shelf for a few years but had not yet been read. Parents know the curse: kids want the same book over and over again. But daddy wanted a change.

It was getting a late start to story time, so we only made it through a few letters of the new book. It was an alphabetical book that explores the traditions and culture of Appalachia entitled A is for Appalachia: The Alphabet Book of Appalachian Heritage.

Reading about Appalachia, Baskets, Coal, Corn, and Dulcimers begat questions from my six year old.

Do we live in Appalachia? No, but we are awfully close.

Have I been to Appalachia? Sure let’s look at the map and explore when we’ve driven through on trips. And every time we’ve gone to visit Mawmaw, we’ve been in Appalachia?

Was church camp in Appalachia? I’m not sure, but it was sure was pretty like these pictures. Wasn’t it?

I could sense an appreciation for Appalachia developing as the pages turned.

A is for Appalachia! was written by Linda Hager Pack and illustrated by Pat Banks. It shares the great Appalachian heritage in a simple way for children, but the book is a delight to read for adults as well.

The book can be a simple alphabet recognition tool, but the few paragraphs under each letter are informative yet simple. And the illustrator included a helpful map of the southern Appalachian mountains identifies the states in which the verdant green Appalachians stand out as crossing the geo-political borders almost to in one illustration say that Appalachia is a united place bound by custom and heritage more than anything else.

And, best of all, my kids are looking forward to more about Appalachia tonight!

You can order A is for Appalachia: The Alphabet Book of Appalachian Heritage from amazon.com.