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WORST OF FRIENDS

Name: WORST OF FRIENDS
Author: Suzanne Tripp Jurmain
ISBN: 978-0-525-47903-1

THOMAS JEFFERSON, JOHN ADAMS, AND THE TRUE STORY OF AN AMERICAN FEUD

by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain & illustrated by Larry Day ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2011

A pleasingly lucid look at a complicated relationship, it should prove revelatory to an audience unaccustomed to such nuance.

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Though John Adams and Thomas Jefferson “...were as different as pickles and ice cream,” they were able to work together to fight for America’s independence—for a while.

In the late 1770s, they developed conflicting ideas about government and aligned with opposing political parties. When John Adams was elected as the second U.S. president, Jefferson was elected vice president. This exacerbated their rocky relationship, and when Jefferson was ultimately elected president over Adams, their friendship ended. Over a decade would pass before they spoke again. The team that created George Did It (2005) now brings to light both the trials and tribulations of these two notable leaders and the turbulence of early American politics. Energetic watercolor-and-pencil drawings accurately represent the late 18th century, showing the dress, style and architecture of the period. Feisty narration paired with amusing illustrations makes light of sticky situations, as when Jefferson physically restrains an angry Adams from assaulting King George and Adams moves himself out of the White House in the dead of night. Although quotations are not specifically sourced, the selected bibliography reveals a wealth of research, including several primary sources.

A pleasingly lucid look at a complicated relationship, it should prove revelatory to an audience unaccustomed to such nuance. (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-525-47903-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES

- BOOK REVIEW
NICE WORK, FRANKLIN!
by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain ; illustrated by Larry Day

- BOOK REVIEW
GEORGE DID IT
by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain & illustrated by Larry Day

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WHAT IS THE PRESIDENT'S JOB?

by Allison Singer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 3, 2017

A sunny opener for more-nuanced overviews like Judith St. George and David Small’s classic So You Want to Be President...

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A starter volume for newly independent readers curious about what presidents of the U.S. are supposed to do.

Singer presents both the basic responsibilities—meeting foreign leaders, working with Congress to pass laws, being in charge of the armed forces that “keep Americans safe”—and steady rounds of public appearances and speeches. She also lays out presidential qualifications (the Constitutional sort, anyway: “You must be at least 35 years old. No kids allowed!”), explains how election campaigns and voting work, and offers quick tours of Washington, D.C., and the White House. Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, and a few other presidents from the distant past make cameos, but most of the big, bright photos feature Barack Obama and his immediate predecessors. A quiz and an invitation to presidential wannabes to answer the question “What would you do for the country?” close this presidential primer.

A sunny opener for more-nuanced overviews like Judith St. George and David Small’s classic So You Want to Be President (2000) or the newest edition of Eyewitness: Presidents (2017). (index, reading guide for parents) (Informational early reader. 6-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-4654-5749-3

Page Count: 48

Publisher: DK Publishing

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES

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ALEXANDER HAMILTON

A PLAN FOR AMERICA

by Sarah Albee ; illustrated by Chin Ko ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2018

Solid, if not revolutionary.

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Albee and Ko take their shot at an early-reader biography about Alexander Hamilton.

Emergent readers (and their caregivers) familiar with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton will be rewarded with what amounts to an illustrated highlights reel of the founding father’s life. Albee opens in medias res by describing Hamilton as “a soldier, a lawyer, and a financial wizard,” before the spare text quickly brings readers to Hamilton’s Caribbean childhood, noting his father’s abandonment, his mother’s death, and his determined rise from poverty. He’s presented as a trusted adviser to George Washington and rival to Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, with Ko’s accompanying digital art depicting him with a smiling man on horseback (Washington), while on the facing page, the two other men scowl. A later spread notes major differences between Jefferson and Hamilton, including acknowledgment that Jefferson enslaved people while “Hamilton was against slavery,” but Washington’s slave-owner status isn’t named, nor is the American Revolution’s impact on Indigenous peoples. Personal milestones, such as marriage to Eliza Schuyler, are noted alongside references to his involvement in the war and his work with the nascent American government. While his death occurs on the page, strategies to keep the text within the comprehension of its audience risk undermining other historical content by omitting such terms as “revolution” and the Federalist Papers (though they do appear in backmatter).

Solid, if not revolutionary. (Early reader/biography. 6-8)