📖 The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. During the War of 1812, Mary Pickersgill is asked to create an enormous American flag to fly over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry. The historic Battle of Fort McHenry, as well as Pickersgill’s flag, would be memorialized in Frances Scott Key’s anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.” In this fictionalized account, the story of the making of the flag is told through the eyes of 12-year-old Caroline Pickersgill. – Elementary

📖 The Star Spangled Banner by Peter Spier. In this tribute to the national anthem, Spier provides illustrations to accompany the text of the song. The first part of the book depicts the battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 (the inspiration for Key’s lyrics), while the second half shows images from present-day America. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Dolley Madison Saves George Washington by Don Brown. Read this amusingly illustrated picture book to learn a little about the War of 1812, the burning of the White House, and First Lady Dolley Madison, who famously rescued George Washington's portrait from certain destruction by the invading British. – Elementary

📖 The White House is Burning: August 24, 1814 by Jane Sutcliffe. Though it touches on the causes and outcomes of the War of 1812, this book is mainly an in-depth, minute-by-minute chronology of the British capture and burning of the White House. Recommended for those with a serious interest in this event. – Middle