Title: Of
Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters
Author: Barack
Obama
Illustrator: Loren
Long
Publisher: Alfred
A. Knopf
Copyright: 2010
Number of Pages: 40
Genre: Diverse Perspectives
Grade Level: 4th
Content Area: Social
Studies
Barack Obama
wrote a beautiful letter to his daughters about the many good qualities he sees
in them. He relates each quality to Americans throughout history that have used
that talent for good. From the intelligence of Albert Einstein to the strength
of Helen Keller, along with many more iconic heroes, Obama connects them to his
children and the children of America. He shares that America is made up of people
of every kind, “People of all races, religions, and beliefs. People from the
coastlines and the mountains. People who have made bright lights shine by
sharing their unique gifts and giving us the courage to lift one another up, to
keep up the fight, to work and build upon all that is good in our nation.” He encourages
children to share their gifts with the world, like others before them have so they
too can make a difference. I also really like the last page where it says, “Have
I told you that they are all a part of you? Have I told you that you are one of
them, and that you are the future? And have I told you that I love you?” The
illustrations portray each person he talks about beautifully and then has more
and more children as the book progresses, until by the end of the book the page
is covered with children. Most of the children are illustrated with their talents,
like a bat, guitar, football, rocket, and so on. I would relate this book to Social
Studies and have each student pick someone from the book to do more research on
and share their findings with the class.
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