M Is for Minnesota

1998
Author:

Dori Hillestad Butler
Illustrations by Janice Lee Porter

A delightful book about this remarkable state.

There are plenty of alphabet books, but when you read about Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe you know you are in Minnesota. These characters are from just one entry in M is for Minnesota, a beautiful children’s book that will both entertain and delight readers of all ages. Author Dori Hillestad Butler has hand-picked the best of the state, from the northern tip to the great Mississippi River.

We love books like M Is for Minnesota-a close, adoring look at our home. Author Dori Hillestad Butler and illustrator Janice Lee Porter blend twenty-six thoroughly fact-packed points of pride with warm, jewel-toned paintings of carefully selected Minnesota scenes. M is for Marvelous!

Minnesota Parent

There are plenty of alphabet books, but when you read about Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe you know you are in Minnesota. These characters are from just one entry in M is for Minnesota, a beautiful children’s book that will both entertain and delight readers of all ages. Author Dori Hillestad Butler has hand-picked the best of the state, from the northern tip (N is for Northwest Angle, the northern-most point in the lower 48 states) to the great Mississippi River.

Illustrator Janice Lee Porter portrays the subject of each letter in original paintings, bringing facts and stories to life. From the blazing Hinckley fire to the serenity of a loon on a lake at sunset, Porter’s renderings are filled with rich colors and innovative perspectives. Her style is both thoughtful and charming, appealing to children and adults alike.

Not only enjoyable to read, M is for Minnesota is enlightening as well. You’ll learn about places like Minnesota’s Iron Range, famous for producing high-quality iron ore, and people like “Lucky” Charles Lindbergh, who grew up in Little Falls. Entries feature animals, including timber wolves and eagles, that call Minnesota home, and events such as the first successful open-heart surgery, performed at the University of Minnesota.

This book is a loving tribute to Minnesota. Residents past and present, tourists, educators, and book lovers will relish the opportunity to discover the history, stories, and natural beauty of the Gopher State.

ISBN 0-8166-3041-0 Cloth/jacket $16.95
32 pages 27 full-color illustrations 10 x 8 September
Translation inquiries: University of Minnesota Press

Dori Hillestad Butler grew up in Fairmont, Minnesota. She is the author of eleven children’s books, including W is for Wisconsin (1998) and The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off (1997).

Janice Lee Porter is a painter, illustrator, and graphic artist living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has illustrated nine children’s books, including Colors of the Navajo (1998) and Count Your Way through Greece (1996).

We love books like M Is for Minnesota-a close, adoring look at our home. Author Dori Hillestad Butler and illustrator Janice Lee Porter blend twenty-six thoroughly fact-packed points of pride with warm, jewel-toned paintings of carefully selected Minnesota scenes. M is for Marvelous!

Minnesota Parent

M Is for Minnesota is a picture book that gives readers brief A to Z lessons in intriguing aspects of the state’s history, geography, natural resources, and landmarks. Janice Lee Porter’s illustrations are bright and action-packed. These creative, unusual entries for each letter make it challenging to guess what subject Dori Hillestad Butler will use for the the letter on the next page. With just 26 letters in the alphabet, Butler does an excellent job of covering many aspects of life in Minnesota and what makes this state rich in its diversity of natural, cultural, and economic resources. It has a simple way of making you proud to be a Minnesotan.

Minnesota Conservation Volunteer

Learn all about Minnesota, from A to Z in this fact-packed book. Each page is devoted to a letter, with accompanying text describing the things that make the Gopher State great: its cities, natural resources, historical events, lore, animals, and people. Porter’s atmospheric images perfectly capture the northern landscape and its inhabitants, and the text is sure to fill young readers with state pride.

Booklist

Describing Minnesota from letters A-Z this book shows the magnificence of the land of 10,000 lakes. Colorful pictures on each page make the book fun. For anyone who is a native Minnesotan or has visited the gopher state, this book is sure to bring smiles and fun memories. This book is fun for all!

Children’s Book and Play Review

Butler offers lots of information about Minnesota in an alphabetical arrangement from ‘Agriculture to Zoo’ Each letter provides an opportunity to cover another aspect of the state. The author incorporates a fair amount of history and a smattering of geography and ecology among her host of topics. Minnesota libraries will definitely want copies.

School Library Journal

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