Happy Fourth of July!

Duel: Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words

Fradin, Dennis Brindell. 2008. Duel: Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words. Illustrated by Larry Day.

I honestly never thought I'd see a picture book about the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. When I first read about the duel back in school--eighth or ninth grade--or whatever, I must admit it was one of the more intriguing, more interesting aspects of American history. Made even more *fun* (if fun is the proper word) by this Got Milk commercial which was brand new and oh-so-much-fun.

So on to the book review. I liked it. It was clear. It was straight-forward. It was interesting. It was informative. I can't say that I loved, loved, loved the illustrations. But they were nice enough. (Just because I like a slightly different style of illustration doesn't mean these aren't good.) Perhaps if I hadn't just read (and reviewed) Lady Liberty by Doreen Rappaport with illustrations by the incredible Matt Tavares, then I wouldn't have felt they were lacking a little something.

Just because I'm reviewing it here doesn't mean it's a picture book for young readers however. This one is not really a picture story book for young ones. It's for those in mid to upper elementary school perhaps. The reader needs to have some grasp of history in order to enjoy this one. (As opposed to first graders who don't really "get" that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. all lived at different times. These are the folks that most often than not will either answer Lincoln or Washington when asked who the president is.)



Apparently, I didn't realize how popular a story this actually was. (Who knew that there were reenactments going on???) And look at this: legos fun!

Independent Dames

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2008. Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution. Illustrated by Matt Faulkner.

First off, I just want to say that I love the premise of this one. Laurie Halse Anderson is writing about little known (or unknown) characters in American history. Placing women (and girls) into the historical context of the American Revolution. And I like the idea that she's "exposing" (if you will) kids to this notion of how important women are to society, to history, to life, at an early age (mid-to-upper elementary school). The field does seem in many ways exclusive to men--specific men--Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, etc. Women are marginalized often along with African-Americans and Native-Americans when it comes to history textbooks. This isn't always the case. And I believe each school district is responsible for adopting their own textbooks and setting the curriculum. So some schools may be more progressive than others. (Maybe progressive isn't quite the right word. But it's as close as I could get at the moment.) My experience--limited as it may be, and as ancient as it may be--didn't allow me to really start learning about important women in history, in society, in literature until I was in college. (I would even go so far as to say that it wasn't until college that I was exposed to more than just the same old dead white guys in history and literature.)

In Independent Dames we learn about many many women (and some girls) who helped play a role in America's fight for independence. On each spread, we learn about a handful of women--perhaps two or three to a page. We never really see more than a sentence or two on each woman, but we get the big picture--women played a role too. An important role. A role that while may be dismissed by the traditional textbook, is an important one to the overall victory and morale of the war. Women as soldiers. Women as spies. Women as nurses. Women providing food, clothes, shelter, money. Women working in men's jobs in order to help their country.

It's well researched. There is an extensive timeline of the war. There are extensive notes in the sidebars. There are extensive notes in the back along with a bibliography and index.

I liked the information. It seemed a bit crowded in places. There was a lot going on on each page. I did a horrible job in describing the business--so I'll just point you to a better description:

Instead of one narrative thread through the pages, there are four types of writing on each spread- a timeline, biographical information, narrative storyline, and dialogue bubbles.

And I wasn't crazy about the illustrations. I didn't hate them. But I didn't love them. They just weren't my personal style of choice. But they weren't bad.

But teachers and parents should think about including this one.

100 Days and 99 Nights

Madison, Alan. 2008. 100 Days and 99 Nights.

Everyone calls me Esme, which is five letters short of my given name, Esmerelda. My middle name, Swishback, is my mother's last name before she got married. And my last name, McCarther, is spelled with two C's--the first one is a baby and the second one isn't. That's me all over: I'm Esmerelda Swishback McCarther. (1)

Esme has a younger brother, Ike, and quite a few pets. Esme is used to moving around quite a lot. Her father is in the army. She's lived in Korea, Kenya, and Germany. And the U.S., of course, where she is living now. Virginia to be exact. But her father's last assignment is a place where his family can't come with him. He'll be away on tour of duty for 100 days and 99 nights. This is Esme's story of how she copes with his absence, and copes with life in general--getting along with her brother, going to school, etc.

Esme's uniqueness manifests itself early on. She's got a "bedzoo" of animals living with her. Stuffed animals on her bed all the way from A to Z. Each chapter features an animal from her bedzoo. But Esme's uniqueness is also illustrated in her narrative voice. It's strong; it's spunky. It's vulnerable. It just feels right.

138 pages.

I'll Be Your Susan Lucci

So I was very very very happy to watch this one. I love Veggie Tales most of the time. But I tend to *really* like those more literary endeavors. The Big River Rescue features "Huckleberry Larry" and "Tomato Sawyer" though you can just call him "Tom." Big Jim is on the run. And though Tom and Huck had promised Big Jim's "owners" that they'd be on the look out for him, they soon realize that Jim's running away is justified. In fact, they agree--Huckleberry Larry enthusiastically with Tomato Sawyer being a bit more cautious--to help him on his way. Where are they going? And why? They're going to St. Louis, to the St. Louis World's Fair! Jim is on his way to his sweet singing Mama Belle whom he hasn't seen in years.

This one is fun and silly. Definitely recommended.