I would use this book as an independent read in 4th grade because the sentences are long and complex for students to read. Students could use the pictures to guide their reading to use as context clues.

Hm. ?áI just can't appreciate Wendell & Siebert's other works after being wowed by Sierra. ?áI don't know if it's me, or if that really is her very best. ?áBut I grew up in the midwest and I was excited to read this... and now that I'm done I'm not even all that homesick any more. ?áSorry I can't say why. ( )

This book is informational. It describes the landscapes of America, and the functions of farms and agriculture. It describes America as a great, successful country, where anyone can have opportunity. I might use this as an introduction to farming, maybe in the 3rd or 4th grade. ( )

Genre: Informational. A book about the "heartland" itself and farms, farm animals, and farmers and what they all do around the farm. Could use in an urban classroom to introduce rural settings to students. However, this book is fairly dry and dull, but has some charm to it. ( )

Heartland is a book about farm life, and how farms work. On each page the author opens with "This is the Heartland" and then goes through all of the aspects that make a farm a farm. Siebert starts with the fields and goes through the animals, seasons, and all of the things that a farm does. Use in the classroom could be a farm unit, or learning about how food is brought to stores. Also could be used for writing section to show repetition. Genre: informational ( )