Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Heroes of the Revolution
Illustrator: Donald A. Smith
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 6 to 9
Holiday House, 2003 ISBN: 978-0823420179
Sometimes, when we think about history we forget that it is really just a collection of stories. Often it is best understood when one looks at the stories about the people who lived through and experienced the events in question. In this collection of twelve mini biographies we are going to meet some of the men and women who played an important part in the conflict known as the American Revolution. Some of the people described are well known such as George Washington and Paul Revere. Others were people who were heroes on a smaller scale and yet who did their play an important part in the story of the revolution.
One of these people was Crispus Attucks, a former slave who had the misfortune of being present in the city of Boston when the first fight between the colonists and the English soldiers broke out. Crispus was the first person to die in the struggle for American Independence.
Another of the less well known characters in the Revolutionary War story was Deborah Sampson, a young woman who disguised herself as a man and who joined the Continental Army to serve as a soldier in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment. Even after she was shot in the leg Deborah did her best to do her duty for the cause she believed in.
By reading these twelve accounts readers will discover that history and the stories of the people who create it can be a fascinating subject
