HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES

"Borders are stories," explains this lively documentary that shows how a history of disputes has drawn and redrawn the borders of the U.S. and its states. Main themes: access to water for transportation; less-than-accurate surveyors; how slavery—and railroads—shaped the West; how gold shaped California, Colorado, Idaho, and Washington; and how greed added all those "notches" and "boot-heels." (Mark Stein’s paperback of the same name devotes a chapter to each state’s boundaries, plus one for D.C. and another for the country as a whole.) Grades 5 and up. Color. 88 minutes. A&E. ©2010.