Fifo “50 States”

Author: Hayley Rose Illustrated by Jessie B. Orlet
ISBN: 978-0981464-824
Publisher: Inkwell Productions
Purchase on Amazon
Website: http://www.fifothebear.com/
Source: PumpUpYourBook Promotions

Travel with the adorable bear, Fifo, as he tours the USA, visiting each of our 50 states. Along the way, Fifo introduces the reader to each state alphabetically. He points out the states’ capital, flower, tree, bird and motto along with interesting things to see. Each state has its own two page spread. The first page holds a rhyming verse that makes it easy for the reader to remember while the companion page has colorful illustrations of what the state offers.

I really enjoyed this book! It is a great educational resource. I even learned a few new things myself! The writing style was easy to read and follow due to the rhyming stanzas. The illustrations were fun and colorful, though I felt some of them didn’t portray the states as best as they could have. The illustrations did add more to the “story” of each state, picturing important aspects each state has to offer that were not included in the wording. This book left me interested in Fifo’s other adventures, to which I ended up visiting the website for more information. [website is listed above] The only information I wished had been included were the states nicknames, for example, Missouri is the Show Me State and New Hampshire is the Granite State.

Overall this book is a wonderful resource for information regarding the 50 states. I would suggest this book for use with elementary school children. I remember having to make a portfolio of the states when I was in elementary school that included all of the information this book offers. My only minor problem with this book was the price, which is set at 23.95 for a paperback. Since all of this information can be found on the internet, in libraries and in other books, the price seemed a little steep. I’m not sure I would purchase a book of this sort for more than 19.95. I would suggest picking up a copy of this book if you have young children. The earlier the better! It is a fun book to read with your kids. My daughters loved finding out where Fifo traveled next and what he would find! I love that the kids are getting educational information included in our story time.