For Paul, the event was about more than promoting a new book.
It was an opportunity to introduce young Americans to the people, ideas and events behind the country’s founding — and she said the reaction from students was immediately visible.
“I just hope it’s lighting a spark, and I can see it in their eyes that it is,” Paul said. “They want to learn more.”
A Children’s Book Built Around America’s Founding
Published by Regnery Kids in June, Good Night, Young American is aimed at children ages 4 to 8 and was released to coincide with America’s 250th birthday.
The illustrated, 40-page book follows a young boy through episodes from early American history, touching on the Mayflower, Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s midnight ride, Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Paul has said she wanted the book to give children a sense that the Revolution isn’t merely a collection of names and dates.
She wants them to see themselves as inheritors of that history.
“I wanted to connect with kids, with parents about our amazing revolutionary history and how heroic our founders really were,” Paul said. “I think we’ve kind of gotten away from the sheer bravery of what they did in creating the United States of America and going up against the most powerful king in the world.”
That message has personal roots.
Paul has recalled growing up in Russellville, Kentucky, during America’s bicentennial celebration in 1976, when communities across the country marked the nation’s 200th birthday.
“The whole town got so into it,” she said.
She remembers dressing in colonial clothing and experiencing American history as something far more immediate than another school assignment.
“I remember how I felt like, ‘I am part of this story. All these incredible statesmen who did these brave things — this is a part of my story.’ And that’s what I hope kids will feel and connect with in the books,” she said.
Turning History Into Something Children Can See
During the Owensboro appearance, Paul encouraged students to go beyond the pages of her book.
She pointed out historic locations on a map and urged children and their families to visit places such as Washington, D.C., Boston and the National Archives.
The idea is straightforward: Let children see the documents, buildings and places connected to the nation’s founding rather than treating the Revolutionary era as something remote.
Paul returned to her own childhood experience to explain why she believes that connection matters.
“I remember how I felt like, ‘I am part of this story,’” Paul said. “All these incredible statesmen who did these brave things – this is a part of my story.”
Her appearance comes amid continuing political disagreements over social-studies standards, including a particularly contentious debate in Iowa.
Iowa enacted legislation in 2024 directing the State Board of Education to revise social-studies standards with increased attention to U.S. history, government, founding philosophies and principles, major historical figures, Western civilization and civics.
The State Board adopted revised standards in January 2026.
But the fight didn’t end there.
House File 2286, introduced during the 2026 legislative session, sharply criticized the Department of Education’s handling of the standards. The bill alleged that officials had failed to follow legislative intent, including by omitting required material involving Western civilization, founding documents and constitutional principles. Those allegations are legislative findings contained in the proposed measure, rather than independently established conclusions.
Meanwhile, the Iowa Department of Education itself has promoted America 250 programming, describing the anniversary as an opportunity for students to examine the country’s founding principles and Iowa’s role in the American story.
The dispute illustrates a larger argument playing out around the country: not whether American history should be taught, but which events, figures and perspectives deserve the greatest emphasis.
Paul Wants Children Asking Questions
Paul’s answer isn’t another government curriculum.
It’s a picture book.
Her approach is to begin with the Revolution as an adventure — ships crossing the Atlantic, colonists dumping tea into Boston Harbor, Paul Revere riding through the night and Washington leading troops across an icy Delaware River — and then encourage children to keep exploring.
That may explain why she was watching the students as closely as they were watching her.
For Paul, curiosity was the goal.
“I just hope it’s lighting a spark, and I can see it in their eyes that it is,” Paul said. “They want to learn more.”
As politicians, education officials and parents continue debating how America’s complicated past should be presented to the next generation, Paul is making her contribution one classroom — and one bedtime story — at a time.
