Lady Liberty's Holiday

PreS-Gr 2—The Statue of Liberty is bored. She tells her pigeon friend, "Moe, every day feels the same. I see the same skyscrapers, the same city." Moe encourages her to take a holiday. She begins with the Jersey Shore, Cape Cod, and Niagara Falls and continues west from there. The illustrations present famous landmarks and landscapes from across the country. Confused tourists look on as she peeks over the top of Mount Rushmore. Sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon, "for once in her life, Lady Liberty [feels] small." She makes it to California and stops to doze at the Golden Gate Bridge. Meanwhile, New York City is concerned. The missing statue puts a damper on the Fourth of July preparations. Moe sets out to find his friend and bring her home. The statue is enjoying a leisurely stroll through a Southern swamp when Moe finds her. "Nobody feels like celebrating without you," he says. The statue replies, "But the Fourth of July isn't about me. It's about America! I've seen this country. The purple mountains, the shining seas, the bridges and buildings. Everyone should know how amazing it is and celebrate it!" She runs north and reaches New York City in time for the fireworks. "And Liberty [is] blue no longer." She tells Moe, "It was good to get away. But it's great to be home." The final pages explain how the statue came to America and include a page of short facts and further resources.