I thought this book was beautiful and I loved the illustrations, as they really added to the story. ( )

An absolutely stunning book. The illustrations are so lush and beautiful, they really captured the attention of my kiddos. This book gives a short tidbit of information about the vast and varied areas around California and was a fabulous addition to our California unit study! ( )

This book goes through the colorful state of California city by city. On each page there is a short rhyming verse all about a specific city and its history along with a beautiful illustration of what that city is most famous for. Overall I found this book to be informative yet still interesting. I think this would be great book for a young student to read in order to learn more about the state of California. ( )

I loved reading this nonfiction book. It takes the reader through 14 different major locations in California. Each location has a short poem to describe it, but the best part of the book is its illustrations. It was illustrated by Rafael Lopez, and he uses very dynamic pictures. Since each city is diverse in the big state of California, it’s essential that all of the pictures accurately show their differences. I like that it’s written with rhymes. It makes the reader bounce through the book from location to location. Even though it’s nonfiction, it still adds a bright perspective to each city. “Now east to Yosemite, where sequoias abound and magnificent monoliths rise from the ground. Once, ice-age glaciers carved their way through and created a valley with a breathtaking view.” A text feature that helps the reader is the information guide at the end of the book that includes more facts about the state and its cities. The big idea of this story is that California has many surprising treasures and is definitely the golden state! ( )

California is a beautiful state and this book is a great representation of that. Throughout this book we go on a fun journey through eleven different states in California. The author wrote about well known cities like Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Antonio but I also liked that the author included cities that are often over looked when talking about California. Some of the lesser known cities that are included are Yosemite, Coloma and Eureka. When a lot of people think of California they think of surfing, celebrities and valleys. This book talks about so many other things that California has to offer. My favorite aspect of this book is the illustrations. They are so beautiful and vibrant; they are a great representation of California. ( )