Annie Appleford - M Is For Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet

A Michigan Alphabet

Written by Annie Appleford, Poems by Kathy-jo Wargin and Illustrated by Michael G. Monroe

For Mike, Maggie, and Ben with my love.

Thanks to my family, friends,
Pearly Broome, Michael Monroe, Kathy-jo Wargin,
and Sleeping Bear Press.

A. A.

Thanks to my parents for giving me the
confidence in myself to pursue my dream
of being an artist, and to my grandparents
for inspiring me with my first paint set.

M. G. M.

The apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan. In late spring, this delicate flower blossoms with five pink and white petals.

A is for the Apple blossom, frilly as can be.

It dances in the springtime breeze upon the apple tree.

The Mackinac Bridge connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. It spans five miles over an area of water known as the Straits of Mackinac, which is where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. One of the longest suspension bridges in the world, taking over three years to build, the Mighty Mac opened to traffic in 1957. Before that, people traveled back and forth by boat.

The brook trout is a small, colorful fish. It likes to swim in shallow lakes and streams. It is the state fish of Michigan and has red, green, and blue spots on its sides.

B is for a great big Bridge thats called the Mighty Mac.

Whichever side you may be on you can drive across and back.

Cherry trees grow in long, neat rows in the light, sandy soil of northern Michigan. There are so many orchards near Traverse City that it has become known as the Cherry Capital of the World. Western Lower Michigan is ideal for growing fruit such as cherries, apples, and peaches because Lake Michigan warms the passing air in spring and fall, and cools it in the summer, causing more moderate temperatures.

Now C is for Cherry.

Little sweet ones fill my belly.

Tart ones make me pucker, so theyre used in jam and jelly.

Do you see anything else on this page that begins with the letter C?

Detroit is the largest city in our state. It was founded in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, and was first called Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit. Known as the Automobile Capital of the World, Detroit is home to General Motors, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler. It was the first city in the world to pave a mile of concrete road and to install a traffic light. But Detroit is famous for more than just cars. It was also the birthplace of a record company called Motown, where many famous singers got their start.

Did you know Detroit (de troit) is the French word for strait, meaning a narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water?

D is for Detroit. Its called the Motor City, where cars roll out of factories, so bright and new and pretty.

The eastern white pine, Michigans state tree, is very tall and straight, making it a good choice for timber. Michigan was filled with white pine when the first European settlers came, and soon these and other newcomers began to harvest the trees in an era of the 1800s called The Big Cut. In the 1870s enough eastern white pine was cut that if placed end to end it would have made a path from Michigan to the moon.

Eastern white pine starts with E, a tree so tall and straight, cut for timber long ago all throughout our state.

Weve had fun from A to E.

What is next?

Look and see!

Gerald R. Ford, who grew up in Grand Rapids, was the 38th president of the United States of America. Before that, he was a University of Michigan football star, served on a World War II aircraft carrier, and represented Michigan in Congress for 24 years.

F stands for Gerald R. Ford.

He was president long ago.

He is a very special man from Michigan, did you know?

Michigan is known as the Great Lakes State. It is bordered by four of the five Great Lakes, which are the greatest supply of fresh water in the world. To help you remember all five of the Great Lakes, think of the word HOMES, which stands for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.

G is for our Great Lakes, with water fresh and clear.

To see a state thats edged in blue just take a good look here.

Michigan is full of wonder, and now you can see why

Lets turn the page and take a peek at the letters H and I!

Boaters use lighthouses to safely navigate around shallow or rocky areas and into harbors. Michigan has more lighthouses and more registered boats than any other state.

H is for the Harbors filled with boats and lights and docks.

Some are soft and sandy, and some are filled with rocks.

Michigan has hundreds of islandsBeaver, Drummond, Grand, and Mackinac, to name a few. The largest is Isle Royale in Lake Superior, which is the northernmost point of the state.

The beautiful Isle Royale greenstone is our state gem.

I is for the Islands.

There are many to be founda piece of land thats big or small with water all around.

Produced in Chelsea, Jiffy was the worlds first prepared baking mix. Mrs. Mable White Holmes came up with the idea to produce a foolproof baking mix so anyone could bake homemade-quality biscuits and muffins quickly.

J is for the Jiffy Mix, a quick and easy treat.

The Kellogg Company has made Battle Creek the Cereal Capital of the World. The Kellogg brothers accidentally discovered the process for producing flaked cereal products in their search for healthy foods and sparked the beginning of the dry cereal industry.

And the letter K is for Kellogg.

They make breakfast good to eat.

Crunch, Crunch. Mmmmm