Thirteen-year-old Caroline Pickersgill was the daughter of a famous flagmaker in Baltimore during the colonial period. During the War of 1812, when the United States was still trying to prove its right to be an independent country, flags were an especially important symbol of unity and pride. It was during this period that Caroline helped her mother, Mary, sew a gigantic flag that would fly over Fort McHenry on the shores of Baltimore Harbor. It measured 30 by 42 feet and weighed 80 pounds. This flag would eventually inspire Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner,” which became the national anthem in 1831. A well-researched and lively historical narrative is illustrated in soft watercolor images that depict the bustling new city and the busy harbor of Baltimore. The huge task of sewing such a large flag is clear through detailed drawings of women working by candlelight, with piles of fabric stretched out across the floor. Historically accurate details of furniture, dress, and city life further enhance the artwork in a fascinating book that ends with Flag Facts and a bibliography. (Ages 7–12)

Here in lyrical prose is the story of the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that became the national anthem of the United States. This flag, which came to be known as the Star-Spangled Banner, also inspired author Susan Campbell Bartoletti, who, upon seeing it at the Smithsonian Institution, became curious about the hands that had sewn it.
Here is her story of the early days of this flag as seen through the eyes of young Caroline Pickersgill, the daughter of an important flag maker, Mary Pickersgill, and the granddaughter of a flag maker for General George Washington’s Continental Army. It is also a story about how a symbol motivates action and emotion, brings people together, and inspires courage and hope.