My Washington, DC

by Kathy Jakobsen

Overview

Welcome to My Washington, DC! Vibrant, lush paintings by acclaimed folk artist Kathy Jakobsen bring the capital city to life.

A young girl and her friend explore all their favorite places in Washington, DC, from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial. They peek inside the National Air and Space Museum, glimpse the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, and bask in the beauty of the cherry blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin.

Complete with a map of the city, fun facts, and seek-and-find challenges, My Washington, DC is endlessly fun and educational. Kathy Jakobsen's lavish paintings invite readers to return again and again to this dazzling tribute to America's capital!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316394260
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/11/2016
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	145 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kathy Jakobsen is one of America’s premier folk artists. Widely collected, her paintings are part of a number of permanent collections, including those of the Smithsonian and the AKC Museum of the Dog. She was called “one of the best landscape folk painters of the century” in the Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century American Folk Art and Artists. Her work was featured in a twenty-five-year retrospective exhibit at the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and has been exhibited in Europe and Japan. Kathy moved to New York City as a young artist and lived there for eight years. Inspired by the architecture, the people, and the city’s excitement and energy, she has been using her vibrant style to capture its cityscapes and harbor scenes for her entire career. Kathy is the creator of My New York and My Washington, DC, and she did the paintings for This Land Is Your Land and Johnny Appleseed. Kathy and her family now live in Florida, but New York will always remain an inspiration for her work. She invites you to visit her at kathyjakobsen.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/08/2016
More than 20 years after My New York, folk artist Jakobsen returns to explore the American capital as a girl named Becky recounts her whirlwind visit to Washington, D.C. Jakobsen depicts Washington attractions in intricately detailed oil paintings, including a cross-section of the White House, a look inside the National Museum of Natural History, and an especially striking foldout image of the Washington Monument, the sky above ablaze with fireworks. Crowded scenes invite close inspection (and readers are invited to locate particular items in the pictures), while ornate border artwork adds further visual dimension. Though Becky’s conversational narrative is primarily concerned with providing information about the city and its history, as opposed to a storyline, the rich illustrations provide a gratifying and grand tour of the nation’s capital. Ages 6–9. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for My Washington, DC:


*"Even children too young to read the text can get lost in these illustrations and become engrossed in searching for the three travelers as well as the cat that can be found in each scene... A star-spangled introduction to the nation's capital."—Booklist (starred review)

"Jakobsen depicts Washington attractions in intricately detailed oil paintings, including...an especially striking foldout image of the Washington Monument.... Crowded scenes invite close inspection (and readers are invited to locate particular items in the pictures), while ornate border artwork adds further visual dimension.... The rich illustrations provide a gratifying and grand tour of the nation's capital."—Publishers Weekly

"This merry work is a good choice for young readers who are curious about our capital as well as educators who want to introduce Washington, DC, before a trip or lesson."—School Library Journal

"The visuals and rather challenging hide-and-seek component will make this a popular introduction to or souvenir from the nation's capital."—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for My New York:
"A splendid tribute to the city that never sleeps."—Publishers Weekly

"The marvelously detailed illustrations and the excellent range of places paints an exciting and informative picture of the best of New York City life and activity. A visual treat for children from all around the country."—School Library Journal

Praise for Johnny Appleseed
"Jakobsen's captivating illustrations, rendered in deep tones of rustic blues, browns and golds, are reminiscent of detailed folk art."—Publishers Weekly

"This homespun book provides the perfect vehicle for the story of the legendary Johnny Appleseed... It's a treasure."—School Library Journal

Praise for This Land Is Your Land:
"An ambitious tribute to a popular song that will live as long as the American spirit."—New York Times

"This beautiful homage to America and to a favorite folksinger is sure to be a family treasure."—Publishers Weekly

"This effort is what great picture books are all about."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2016
Gr 1–3—Jakobsen takes readers on a whimsical, whirlwind tour of our nation's capital in this nonfiction picture book. Beginning at Union Station, characters Becky and her friend Martin make their way around many of the sights of Washington, DC. Most locations are treated to highly detailed spreads, while some, such as the Supreme Court, merit a single page, and others, like the White House, receive multiple spreads. The Washington Monument gets a fold-out treatment as befits its height. Each illustration is accompanied by a brief paragraph of description, which necessarily limits the amount of information that Jakobsen is able to impart; what she includes is as much fun trivia as it is vital facts. A few commonly repeated inaccuracies appear here, such as the idea that "Lincoln freed the slaves," but these are more oversimplifications than errors. Martin Luther King Jr.'s monument is the only edifice to commemorate a non-president that is featured, but Jakobsen fails to mention King's African American heritage, which is an omission that some will find odd. As readers pore over these illustrations of monuments, seats of government, and museums, they are also encouraged to search for eagles, stars, and a cat hidden in each picture, adding to the book's interactive nature. An illustrated map highlighting each site visited as well as other prominent locations graces the endpapers, allowing readers to revisit their journey. VERDICT This merry work is a good choice for young readers who are curious about our capital as well as educators who want to introduce Washington, DC, before a trip or lesson.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

School Library Journal

2016-06-22
From Union Station to the Lincoln Memorial, Jakobsen's double-page spreads depict the monuments and structures in Washington, D.C., that are highest in child appeal.Readers are invited to search each diverse, Where's Waldo-esque crowd for two white tourists named Becky and Martin, a cat, and a total of 40 eagles and 300 stars. It is the oil paintings, however, that make this book memorable. The artist captures the grandeur of the city's classical marble columns and ornamentation as found inside the Capitol and the Library of Congress. Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin and fireworks behind the Washington Monument are enlivened through vivid patches of pointillism; a gatefold opening offers scale regarding the obelisk. Jakobsen mentions selected items from three of the most popular museums and, in a current detail, includes a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. She wisely chooses not to portray a particular president (thus immediately dating the presentation) but employs a folk-art style to squeeze an enormous quantity of presidential pets on the White House grounds. The narrative combines a rather contrived, first-person-plural travelogue with facts and legends; the seams show. It is also highly unlikely that two kids would visit 12 sites in one day, much less alone. Nevertheless, the visuals and rather challenging hide-and-seek component will make this a popular introduction to or souvenir from the nation's capital. (map, facts, websites, artist's note) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews