You're a Grand Old Flag

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUN 4, 2007

Kimball's (The Cat's Meow) crisp folk art pays star-spangled tribute to Cohan's rousing patriotic song. Rendered in acrylic paint on distressed wood, the inventively textured paintings integrate images of Old Glory in wry ways as they accompany the lyrics. An eagle standing against the backdrop of the flag sports a vest featuring stars and stripes ("You're a high flying flag"). A pumpkin-headed scarecrow flanked by a pair of unfrightened crows with miniature flags in their beaks wears a star- and stripe-studded tuxedo and top hat ("You're the emblem of") and an indisputably proud rooster sports similarly flag-inspired formal wear ("Where there's never a boast or brag"). Kimball balances these entertainingly eccentric interpretations with more conventional renderings: a boat sails serenely past a lighthouse as two flags stand in the background ("And forever in peace may you wave") and a bell-topped one-room schoolhouse sits between two high flying flags ('Neath the Red, White, and Blue"). Kimball wraps up with a note on Cohan's creation of the song (originally titled "She's a Grand Old Rag," which proved too controversial), a brief roundup of "Flag Facts" and a score of the song. This patriotic paean will find an appreciative audience among folk art aficionados. Ages 5-8.