Inspiring the American Dream recently sent me a copy of their softback (32 page) book Abraham’s Journey : A Celebration of the American Dream. I decided to read this book aloud to my children that are currently ages 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2. We read it one day as they were eating lunch and then I asked for their help in writing this book review. My children have fallen in love with read alouds this year and this book was no exception.
I love American history and I want to instill this love into my children so I was eager to pass on the idea of the “American Dream” to them. This book’s focus is to teach the next generation about the American Dream. The idea that hard work and inspiration can allow a person to achieve anything that they set their minds to is something that makes our country different from many around the world. And it is, unfortunately, fading with each generation I think. This book’s purpose is to stop this fading.
In the pages of this book, young Abraham is determined to save Christmas for his family after his parents lose their jobs. Through his travels with “a wise old man” named Abraham he is introduced to several famous Americans that had a dream and worked toward it and finally achieved the “American Dream”. These individuals encourage Abraham to discover what he is good at and to pursue that talent with all of his heart.
I did feel that the book could have better emphasized the hard work and effort that it takes to make your dreams become reality. In this story, Abraham’s journey to achieving his dream only takes a few weeks. For most people, achieving the American Dream takes years if not a life time.
But my children really enjoyed this book. It was a great opportunity to introduce them to historical figures that they hadn’t learned much about before and to review some of the life stories of those we had studied. My 10 year old walked away impressed by the fact that Abraham used the money he earned to show his family that he loved them. He wasn’t selfish with it, and she noticed this. She said that he was a great “witness” to his family of how to love others. My 8 year old and 6 year old told me their favorite part was that Abraham was able to save Christmas for his family.
After we had read the book aloud and talked about the different historical people mentioned in the book and what they each accomplished in their lifetime, I assigned each child a book report to write about the lessons that they learned from Abraham’s story. This was great writing practice and gave us the opportunity to talk about how to write a report and even sentence structure with Josiah (1st grade).
Abraham’s Journey : A Celebration of the American Dream retails for $14.99 and I feel that it is best suited as a read aloud for those in 1st-3rd grade. Most students older than this can probably read it independently. We did enjoy this book and it was a great launching point for a discussion and study of the ideas, feelings, and beliefs behind the “American Dream”.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
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