I think that this is a wonderful illustrated book highlighting sixteen of our US National Parks. Each park has a paragraph on its history and geography. The book ends with the history of the park system with some of its faults and a hint at the ecology. I loved it and so will the grands!
The illustrations by Vivian Mineker are fun, simply delightful, colorful, and evocative of the very essence of nature as preserved by the US National Parks.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )

This is a pleasant picture book acquainting the reader with sixteen National Parks in the United States. Vivian Mineker's illustrations are pretty and fun, containing many children. They are quite inclusive, showing multiple ethnicities, ages, and even a child in a wheelchair. The book is written in two-sentence verses about the park with an additional box of facts about each, most of which can likely be understood by the target audience of four- to seven-year-olds or easily explained by an adult. After the main story, the author has included two pages of more detailed information about the National Park Service. This includes a general overview, a history, and a section on "Troubled Beginnings" which details two instances of people being removed from their land for the Park Service to form a National Park on that site. The section also talks about the Park Service today striving to be more mindful and respectful of communities for whom the park sites are meaningful, in part by attempting to preserve the cultural histories of indigenous people displaced by the forming of National Parks.
"I am made of Mountains" contains a nice sampling of United States National Parks from coast to coast. There is a map showing more National Parks and highlighting the ones from the book.
I found some of the verses a bit forced and the end material is tailored for adults. However, even these last pages could be discussed with a younger audience. Overall, an informative and entertaining book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Publishing for the ARC. ( )