For most, Independence Day is all about fireworks, cooking out, celebrating the birth of our nation, and donning red, white and blue. Sometimes, however, we get wrapped up in the celebration and forget about how it all started. Teach your kids the significance of Independence Day by borrowing and reading one or more of these books from JMRL:

Red, White, and Boom! by Lee Wardlaw – Children are invited to travel across the country for a city parade, a beach picnic and fireworks in the park with this poetic celebration of the many cultures and traditions that make the Fourth of July, America’s birthday, so special.

Fourth of July Mice! by Bethany Roberts – Four energetic mice enjoy a parade and other festivities on Independence Day.

The Declaration of Independence from A to Z by Catherine L. Osornio – Uses the letters of the alphabet to trace the origins, creation, and meaning of the Declaration of Independence.

Celebrate Independence Day by Deborah Heiligman – Discusses how and why Americans celebrate Independence Day.

The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh – Tells how the thirteen colonies united in the desire for independence, selected Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of independence, and carried the news of independence across the colonial settlements.