D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet is a storybook about African-American history. The book uses the alphabet to highlight words associated with African-American history. Some people may not be familiar with the words and topics chosen, but that's the wonder of the book! Nancy Sanders opens up a world of new people and issues for children to learn about. I was so glad to see that she included not only iconic names but also some "off the beaten path." This book has a wealth of information and is a wonderful way to introduce your child to African-American history.

The way the book is set up will encourage homeschoolers to delve deeper into the stories presented. There is quite a good write-up about the topic of each letter, but other things are mentioned that the write-up doesn't go into detail about. Your interest is stoked, and it's just natural to end up with a trip to the library! This book is a first step for those who don't know much about African-American history.

I highly recommend this book to every household. It brings a new and intriguing aspect to African-American studies. I do believe this book will spark new and surprising unit studies. Happy learning!

Product review by Lyria Moore, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October 2007