Did you know? ...
• Maine's state flower is a pine cone.
• Maine has three state fishes.
• The combined weight of Maine's salamanders is probably greater than the weight of all its moose?
• Whoopie pie is Maine's official treat.
• Maine's very creation helped perpetuate slavery.
Wait a minute, what kind of book about state symbols talks about slavery?
The author created a series of report cards for the symbols of all 50 states, and Maine actually scored much higher than most. Still, no state's symbols are perfect. Maine is one of many states that could use a competently designed flag, for example. Do Mainers have the moxie to fix their flag, however? (Moxie is Maine's official drink, by the way.)
Maine scores high partly because of its lack of overtly political or military symbols. For their official language, Mainers adopted American Sign Language instead of the usual English.
Lavishly illustrated, My Maine Symbols is backed up by a series of reference books and websites focusing on state symbols. Indeed, Geobop's Symbols is the most ambitious project of its kind and may soon replace references by Shankle and Shearer as standard library references. So grab some Maine lobster, blueberry pie, and maple syrup and lose yourself in a book that might be more interesting than you think.
