THE JOURNEY OF THE ONE AND ONLY DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Name: THE JOURNEY OF THE ONE AND ONLY DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Author: Judith St. George
ISBN: 0-399-23738-0

by Judith St. George & illustrated by Will Hillenbrand ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2005

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This is undeniably winning; whether it is good, however, is up for discussion. St. George employs her lively style to chronicle the journeys of the Declaration of Independence (and its copies) through American history. Jefferson composed it, 25 copies were printed and the signers put their signatures to an engrossed version, i.e. written in large clear letters on parchment. It’s that version that has been rolled up and hidden, recopied, hung in sunlight (which faded it), in a room with cigar smokers and a fireplace, restored and fought over by the Library of Congress and the National Archives. St. George casually races through American history. She makes a running joke that parchment must be rolled, not folded, but never explains why or what parchment is. The pictures, charming as they are, are certainly not meant to be historical (or literal) with their cartoony aspects and odd touches (the restoration folk treat the Declaration with cardiac monitors, stethoscope and test tube). Children will probably love it, but whether they will get any honest history out of it is a different question. (bibliography) (Picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-399-23738-0

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES

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THE DUEL
by Judith St. George

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ZARAFA
by Judith St. George and illustrated by Britt Spencer

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STAND TALL, ABE LINCOLN
by Judith St. George & illustrated by Matt Faulkner

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ELEANOR

by Barbara Cooney & illustrated by Barbara Cooney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1996

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"From the beginning the baby was a disappointment to her mother," Cooney (The Story of Christmas, 1995, etc.) begins in this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. She is a plain child, timid and serious; it is clear that only a few people loved her. After her parents die, she is cared for in the luxurious homes of wealthy relatives, but does not find acceptance until she arrives in a British boarding school, where she thrives on the attention of the headmistress, who guides, teaches, and inspires her. Cooney does not gloss over the girl's misery and disappointments; she also shows the rare happy times and sows the seeds of Eleanor's future work. The illustrations of house interiors often depict Eleanor as an isolated, lonely figure, her indistinct face and hollow eyes watching from a distance the human interactions she does not yet enjoy. Paintings reveal the action of a steamship collision; the hectic activity of a park full of children and their governesses; a night full of stars portending the girl's luminous future. The image of plain Eleanor being fitted with her first beautiful dress is an indelible one. Readers will be moved by the unfairness of her early life and rejoice when she finds her place in the world. An author's note supplies other relevant information. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-670-86159-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S HISTORY

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THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS
by Barbara Cooney & illustrated by Loretta Krupinski

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THE REMARKABLE CHRISTMAS OF THE COBBLER'S SONS
adapted by Ruth Sawyer & illustrated by Barbara Cooney

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ONLY OPAL
by Opal Whiteley & edited by Jane Boulton & illustrated by Barbara Cooney

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VOTE!

by Eileen Christelow & illustrated by Eileen Christelow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2003

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After the sorry example of the 2000 presidential election, it’s good to be reminded of the simple beauty—and hard-won right—of voting for a candidate. And Christelow goes farther in this primer on the process of electing a candidate. Simple language, gay color, and humorous subplots make for an appealing introduction to electoral politics, and she wisely complements her somewhat dry explanatory text with a typically funny word-bubble story of one woman’s mayoral campaign. Readers learn about political parties and polls, voter registration, to be wary of campaign advertising, the right to recounts, and are urged to conduct research into the candidates. There’s also a very handy timeline of voting rights that conveys the eye-opening evolution of democracy in the US. Impressively, Christelow gives to each individual vote a sense of importance—an act of participation that nestles in the heart of democracy. (Picture book. 5-8)