Betsy Ross

Title: Betsy Ross 

Author/Illustrator: Alexandra Wallner

Genre: Biography

Awards: None

Age Group: 1st-3rd

Betsy Ross tells the story of how the first American flag came to be made. Betsy grew up in a large family of Quakers in Philadelphia. She became a talented seamstress at a young age and found work in an upholstery shop. After marrying John Ross, the American Revolution was soon underway. Together, they had a small business that Betsy struggled to keep up with after her husband died during battle. Betsy continued to help the American cause, and it is rumored that she sewed the first American flag. She went on to re-marry twice, and she had several daughters and even joined the Society of Free Quakers. Betsy died in 1836, and she was buried in the house that was her very first upholstery shop. Her grandson shared her tale in 1870 with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

I would use this book in my classroom! It is simple but includes interesting facts that I hadn't known prior to reading the book. It is a fascinating story that tells of such a significant piece of American history. It is written in a way that is understandable for children yet sticks with facts.

I would recommend this book for 1st through 3rd grade, because it is written pretty simply but gives a thorough overview of Betsy Ross' life. I also think the illustrations will really help the students to visualize what is happening in this book since it takes place in such a different time period than the modern day.

An activity to go along with this book would be to have students create their own Betsy Ross flags! This book has a tutorial in the back for cutting out a 5-point star which I think is really neat! I think it would also be worthwhile to have students research the meaning behind the stars, stripes, and colors of the original American flag and compare it to the current American flag.