Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5. The Maestros pick up the thread after Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars, 1689-1763 (2000) and continue their American Story series with a colorfully illustrated book that spotlights the Revolutionary War period. History provides a fine plot and cast of characters for this topic, and the Maestros make the most of them, weaving a dramatic tale of ideals and hardship, heroism and betrayal, and illustrating events with a series of detailed, dramatic, and informative pictures and a number of excellent maps. (In one case, however, the art and caption are confusing, making it seem as if Patrick Henry delivered his Give me liberty speech to the colonial legislature at the Virginia capitol building, rather than of the St. John's church.) The book ends with a year-by-year table of significant events; an annotated list of Unsung Heroes of the American Revolution ; a paragraph each on blacks, women, and Native Americans during the Revolution; and a page gathering a miscellany of added facts, but no source notes or bibliography. Colorful and accessible. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-6-Picking up after the end of the French and Indian Wars, where Struggle for a Continent (HarperCollins, 2000) left off, the Maestros continue with the 20 years leading up to, and fighting, the American Revolution. A simple narrative, largely from the Colonists' perspective, touches on the major events, players, and ideas of the times, beginning with the Stamp Act and ending with Yorktown and the subsequent peace treaty. Much of the text is taken up with military encounters and strategies; campaigns, generals, and soldiers are kept relatively straight, often with the help of numerous clear maps (though there's no initial delineation of the 13 colonies). Full-color ink, colored-pencil, and watercolor illustrations-from small portrait ovals to full-spread scenarios-are also helpful; they grace the page in a pleasing, uncluttered way. Packing that much history into 64 pages means, of course, that some complexity, detail, and depth are lost. While some misconceptions are cleared up-Paul Revere's non-solo ride, Bunker/Breed's Hill-more explanation could sometimes relieve a bit of confusion. No sources are cited. Nonetheless, this book serves as a good introductory overview. The visual appeal, straightforward narrative, and large format make it accessible to audiences not ready for Joy Hakim's From Colonies to Country (Oxford, 2002) or Benson Bobrick's Fight for Freedom (S & S, 2004). Rosalyn Schanzer's George vs. George (National Geographic, 2004) is a more engaging and explanatory social and political history of the time, but lacks the more complete military coverage found here.-Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) The Maestros take up where they left off in their American Story series (Struggle for a Continent: The French and Indian Wars 1689-1763) with a telescoped account of yet another two decades of warfare: the American Revolution. The text follows the growth and endurance of the colonial forces, shifting loyalties and alliances, and key efforts of British, patriot, French, and German military leaders. Once again the narrative is handsomely and generously expanded in Giulio Maestro's pen and watercolor drawings. Small portraits and well-drawn maps along with detailed scenes of varied size convey people, time, and place and suggest some of the complexity of the long years of struggle. The pictorial format suggests a middle-grade readership, but the tightly packed discussions of political and military issues might be somewhat daunting for this audience. Appended materials include a table of dates; brief accounts of seven unsung heroes; paragraphs on the roles of black soldiers, women, and Native Americans; and an index. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Maestros continue their "American Story" series with a lucid, opinionated account of the American Revolution, from the end of the French and Indian Wars to George Washington's resignation as Commander-in-Chief. Though the small figures in Guilio's illustrations give the events he depicts a certain distance, Betsy's narrative more than compensates, with lines like "Throughout the fall and winter, Greene and Cornwallis chased each other's tails," and pointed bashing of a Continental Congress that repeatedly dragged its feet when it came to keeping its army supplied. Standing out from similar histories for its inclusion of less familiar figures--William Dawes, who rode with Paul Revere; John Glover, whose boats saved Washington's bacon during the Battle of Long Island; banker Haym Salomon, and others--along with appended discussions of the contributions of blacks, women and Native Americans to the struggle, this merits a place alongside Benson Bobrick's more dramatically illustrated Fight For Freedom: The American Revolutionary War (2004). (Nonfiction. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
