This spring, the picture book American Hero: John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States fit in perfectly with the 4^th Grade American History curriculum at P.S. 859, better known as the Special Music School in New York City.

One of the last topics they focused on in the school year was America’s Founding Fathers. The class read the book, which the teacher Pat Martinez described as “an educator’s dream,” to learn about the life and career of Chief Justice John Marshall. Then they contemplated what they learned and devised their own “Life Lessons”.

“Heroes will always be remembered”

“You have to be wise to be a good leader”

“It’s good to be open to opportunities in life”

“Education can change your life”

“If you experience great loss you can still have hope”

The 4th grade teacher elaborated on her experience teaching with the book.  “As a teacher for over thirty years I am always on the lookout for great picture books. Non-fiction is an important part of our content reading. This is an extraordinary narrative tale of an important man chock full of facts about American History and his life. But, woven into this tale is the story of man of character who lead the country with integrity. It is a real gem – I would recommend this book for any elementary school classroom.”