Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
George vs. George: The America Revolution as seen from Both sides
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 8 to 12
National Geographic, 2004 ISBN: 978-0792273493
In many ways the two men were quite alike. Both were tall and had simple tastes preferring a simple style of dress, plain food, and a quiet life. It seemed as if the friendship between their two countries could never be damaged, after all the American colonists had fought alongside British soldiers against the French, their people spoke the same language and often shared the same ancestry. It was impossible to imagine that Britain would ever raise its hand against its colonies across the Atlantic and this is just what happened.
In response to heavy taxation without representation, the colonists decided that they needed to have some kind of control over those who governed them. It was no longer acceptable that they should be ruled by some king in some far-off land, a king further more who clearly did not understand their needs and wishes. George Washington, a native born Virginia, did understand his people, and he was willing to go to war for their cause - and so he did.
By carefully comparing and presenting the two George’s side by side, the author shows how similar, and dissimilar these two men and their worlds were. It is not hard to see after a while, why they found themselves at odds and why they also could not come to some kind of amicable agreement with regard to the rights of the American colonies.
With many lively paintings and peppered with quotations from the period, this excellent book gives the reader a very honest and clear picture of what would have been like to be a spectator when this conflict between the two George’s was taking place.
