From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs

From Sea to Shining Sea: 

A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs

Amy L. Cohn

Completed 1993

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When I was exposed several years ago to the teachings of Charlotte Mason, a British educator from the late 1800s - early 1900s, I completely adopted the idea of teaching my children folklore and folk songs. Of course, Mason taught folklore and songs from Britain, but I wanted to focus on the United States. And, ta-dah! I found this in my local library quite by chance - or I like to think: in God's perfect timing. So, we began incorporating the folklore and song from this book into our studies over the course of four years.

I think I have written about this book before, but now that my children and I have finally finished it, I am writing about it one last time. I cannot rave about it enough. First, it is huge, measuring almost 9X12. Second, it packs colorful, whimsical, and flavorful illustrations throughout its 370 pages. And third (my favorite), it is conveniently and smartly laid out chronologically, to some degree. At least it is chronological in a topical kind of way. 

Part I, In the Beginning, presents stories told by the Native people of America. Folklore included: "The Creation" (an Iroquois story), "Dream Song" (by the Chippewa), "The Gods Made Man" (from the Navajo), and numerous other Native tales.

Part II is From Sea to Shining Sea: Coming to America. This includes stories and songs like "The First Thanksgiving," "Sarasponda," and "Hambone." The Shot Heard 'Round the World covers the Revolutionary period and features "Paul Revere's Ride" by Longfellow, "Yankee Doodle," and "Concord Hymn" by Emerson. Bridging the Gap introduces the period following the Revolution, going over the Appalachian Mountains. We learned "Cumberland Gap," "The Birth of Davy Crockett," and "Ol' Dan Tucker." 

One of my favorite sections is Water, Water Everywhere because this was the early nineteenth century when men went to sea. We sang "Blow, Ye Winds, in the Morning," "The Erie Canal," and "Shenandoah." 

The section named Let My People Go covered the disheartening chapter in American history: slavery. We learned "Go Down, Moses," "The Sad Tale of Three Slavers," "Harriet Tubman," and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." The next section was I've Been Working on the Railroad - the period after the Civil War and the opening of the West by rail. We learned "John Henry," "Drill, Ye Tarriers," "The Iron Moonhunter," and "A Gust of Fall Wind." I think our favorite was "The Rock Island Line." Next came O Pioneers! Thousands of immigrants went West to start farms and search for gold. Thence, we got "Handcart Song," "Oh, Susannah," and "Dakota Dugout." 

Part III, Only In America: Tricksters, On Two Feet, Four - or More, shares stories and songs about shrewd and crafty characters and how they outwitted their opponents. There is a section called No-sense Nonsense, presenting humorous folk songs like "Michael Finnegan," and a section called Feathers and Fur, Scales and Tails, obviously all folklore and songs featuring animals.

Of more serious sections, American Giants on the Job looks at the strong, resilient character types that went into the building of America, such as "Johnny Appleseed!" "Paul Bunyan, the Mightiest Logger of Them All," "The Story of Pecos Bill," and "I Hear America Singing," by Whitman.

A fun section is Take Me Out to The Ball Game, obviously about America's pastime, and includes: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier," and "Who's on First?" There is a Scary, Creepy, Spooky Ghost Stories section, which we passed over for school, but my kids read them all. 

Finally, Part IV is In Our Time and includes: "The New Colossus," "Big Rock Candy Mountain," "Gee, Mom, I Want to Go Home," "A Shameful Chapter," and "I Have a Dream." And it ends with "This Land is Your Land."

In the back of the book, there is a glossary of terms, extra notes about the each folklore and song, and pages of suggestions for further reading. The folklore and songs are also listed in indexes by both subject and chronological order. 

From Sea to Shining Sea is a perfect resource for children and adults alike, for homeschool use, and for interest in folklore and folk song. In my opinion, it was very well done and assembled with great thought and care. We shall keep this in our library forever.