Product Description

There were once two enemies who were both named George - George Washington and George III. They were very much alike in some ways, and they were both beloved by their people. But wars alter perceptions of people and interpretations of events. Because the winners tend to tell the tale, very few people in the United States have ever considered the British side of the American Revolution. In George vs. George, Roz Schanzer deftly shifts her perspective and includes primary source quotes from people on both sides of the Atlantic and both sides of the conflict. (There were loyalists in the Colonies and people who supported American independence in England.) The book compares the two Georges, who turn out to be remarkably similar men; talks about what life was like for people in England and in the Colonies on the eve of the Revolution; explains how the government of England worked and also how the Colonial governments worked; and then begins the story of the Revolutionary War. After the Stamp Act, the tax on tea, the boycotts, the Boston Tea Party, and the Boston Massacre, come the early battles. The book includes a wonderful description of what led up to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. From the British point of view, the famous British crossing of Boston Harbor and march to Concord immortalized in "Paul Revere's Ride" were pre-emptive strikes against a weapons stockpile amassed by dangerous rebel insurgents. Coverage of the war includes spreads about the composition of the British and Colonial forces as well as the Declaration of Independence. The book ends with the stories of what happened to the two Georges after the American Revolution. As the main text and pictures tell the main story, small paintings of historical figures in the margins comment on the events in their own words, which are drawn from primary sources.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113407 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-01
• Released on: 2004-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780792273493
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. With its attractive jacket, its sustained effort to report both British and American points of view, and its fully illustrated overview of events, this colorful book has many qualities that make it a good introduction to the American Revolution. Schanzer lays the groundwork well, profiling England's King George III, America's George Washington, and their respective governments before chronicling the course of the Revolutionary War. Occasionally cartoonlike in their dramatizations and speech balloons, the lively illustrations take up more space than the words, but the text is clearly written. However, near the end the question is asked, "So what was happening to American civilians all this time?" The answer seems to be mayhem: people were tarred and feathered, women raped. Indians "tortured . . . whole families, and scalped the dead" and "honored their bravest victims by eating them." The American troops "showed off pairs of legging made from the skin of dead Indians." Given the book's highly illustrated format, this is too sensationalized for the age group, a jarring note in an otherwise solid offering. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
*STARRED REVIEW -- A carefully researched, evenhanded narrative with well-crafted, vibrant, watercolor illustrations... historical inquiry at its best. -- School Library Journal

This vibrant overview of a complicated subject will encourage readers to want to learn more. -- Children's Literature

Customer Reviews

Interesting text, Wonderful illustrations
We read this book as part of my son's studies of the American Revolution. In all honesty, until he began these studies, I'd never given much thought to George Washington - now I find myself fascinated by this man's character. While I've graduated to adult literature about our first President, I continue to read my son's books, as well. As this title suggests, the author attempts to present facts (drawn from historical documents) about the Revolutionary War, George Washington and King George III and to demonstrate the two men's reasoning behind the decisions they made and draw parallels between them. I got the feeling that she really wants us to "like" George III, because, according to her research, a majority of Britains did, and he wasn't really a "tyrant". She indicates that while our Declaration of Independence puts all the blame on George III, it was really Great Britain's Parliament that was to blame. George III never meant to harm anyone. Hmmmm. I'll reserve comment on that.

If you're looking for a lot of info about George Washington, this really isn't the book. If you want a children's book where the author attempts to give a look at both sides of the war, she does that here. Her artwork is wonderful in its simplicity, yet still loaded with detail.

One thing missing from this book, since it's as much about differences as it is parallels...My son wondered if George III ever actually fought for his country like George Washington did.

And then, Schanzer has Washington smiling broadly during the charge of the Battle of Princeton, as he says "It's a fine fox chase, my boys." I doubt he smiled at all, simply because he was continuously troubled by painful tooth problems, wore dismally uncomfortable dentures and was very self conscious of the whole matter. And from everything else I've read so far, a smile in the midst of battle, no matter how victorious he might have felt after Trenton, doesn't seem to fit with who he was.

The reading age range is listed as 9-12. My son is a struggling reader at age 11. He was reluctant to read it, so this was one I read to him. He asked a lot of questions and spent much time examining the illustrations - it took us quite a while to get through it, but he says he likes the book.

Great Rev War book for kids
Beautifully illustrated book on Revolutionary War that helps explain the war by comparing George Washington and King George III. Accurate information, clearly expressed in readable prose with a good story line. Humorous and very colorful artwork is very appealing. My grandsons, ages 8 and 10, loved it, and so did I. Highly recommend this book, especially if your children are turned off by "history."

Highly Engaging for Children
My 8 and 11 year old boys (and I, I must admit), were drawn in by this book and it's interesting illustrations. The page illustrating the different types of soldiers used by each side in the war is just the sort of thing a boy needs to engage his brain in the reading of a "boring" history book! The illustrated diagram of British government, for another example, is so much more effective than a dry paragraph describing the parliamentary system. Thus drawn in, the material found is well-presented. Not perfect, but very good. I did appreciate the author's attempt to present consideration of "both sides," rather than the typical black and white portayal of pure, heroic Americans vs. an evil, irrational enemy. Highly recommended by this homeschooling Mom.