George vs. George: The Revolutionary War as Seen by Both Sides

Gr 3-6 -A carefully researched, evenhanded narrative with well-crafted, vibrant, watercolor illustrations. Schanzer states that her challenge was to "]cram 20 years of history, biography, and philosophy into a picture book that kids could grasp and enjoy." She has been entirely successful. The introduction sets the tone, introducing both George Washington and King George III, mentioning their differing views, and noting that every story has two sides. The remainder of the book presents these two sides on spreads that alternate between the man and the monarch, with comparisons of the American and British governmental forms, views on taxation, the Boston Tea Party, and coverage of most of the major battles of the Revolutionary War. True to the author's intent, both Georges come off as decent men, with the interests of their respective countries at heart. The illustrations are amazing. Almost Brueghelesque in their detail, they show the major players as they actually looked. Speech balloons reproduce the exact words of the speakers, with appended "Quote Sources." This is a lovely book, showing historical inquiry at its best: consideration of both sides, a sound research basis, attribution of sources, and interesting writing. Written at a higher level than Jean Fritz's Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? (Putnam, 1977), this book provides the perfect meld of instructional tool and general-interest reading.-Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.