American Revolution: A Nonfiction Companion to Revolutionary War on Wednesday

This book is for young elementary aged children and so I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised. The authors were thorough. Most authors will give information on the snowballs thrown at the Brits in Boston which caused the Boston massacre, but very few will include what was in the snowballs.
Also, this book includes the other riders that were with Paul Revere and that they were able to continue their ride and warn the colonists as Paul Revere was held prisoner by the Brits.
By the time I finished I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely recommend this book for students.

I like this book for a few different reasons. First, the use of language in this book is very clear and to the point. Throughout the books their are headings that inform the reader exactly what it is that the paragraph below will be informing the reader of. The book gives facts about America's history without sugar coating them. For example, even though it is meant for students of a young age, the book does not shy down from informing the reader that the colonists would have slaves. Another detail I liked about the book is the illustrations. The illustrations provide diagrams and maps. For example, the book includes a map of the original 13 colonies, and diagrams of what the people of that time frame might be wearing. Finally, this show more informational matches up to the fictional magic treehouse story so that kids may use what they have learned from this informational book in their story reading. This will further reinforce the facts of the timeframe to the students that read. The big message of this story is to show the students what the timeframe of the American Revolution was like, as well as events that unfolded to cause the war to happen. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed "American Revolution" for a variety of reasons. The book is tremendously engaging. Readers read about the causes and result of the American Revolution. For example, students read about the formation of the 13 colonies, The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, The Declaration of Independence, Lexington and Concord, and many more. Each significant event is described in great detail in grade-level vocabulary. Readers also learn about the education in the 1700s, men and women who played roles in the American Revolution, and the many different flags that were seen throughout the colonies. In addition, readers are kept engaged in the margins of the book where facts of each event can be located. For example, in the show more section describing the events of The Boston Tea Party there are facts such as, “Coffee became popular when the colonists gave up tea” and, “it was never known who yelled the order to fire”. Each fact informs students of engaging facts that they may not have known about. American Revolution also uses many illustrations. The illustrations very much so enhance the story. Illustrations, such as the map found on page 19 or the list of colonial weapons, help to provide concrete visual aids for readers. I also enjoyed this chapter book due to the fact that the characters are believable because the characters are clearly describes and easy to picture. The big idea of this chapter book, American Revolution, is to inform readers about the hardships and facts of each event that occurred during the American Revolution which happen many years ago on the East Coast of the United States. show less

Summary: This book taught about the American Revolution from when the British controlled the 13 colonies, all the way to George Washington becoming president. The story was easy to read, and the great illustrations made learning about the revolution fun. The book told about the living and working environments of families, and important people who helped make our country what it is today. It also related with children be showing what they wore, what kind of education they received, and when they had to start working.

I wish I had had this great novel when I was in grade school! Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce do a wonderful job summarizing the details before, during and after the American Revolution. The guide is written so even a seven year-old can understand the main points and important people who helped shape our country. In the back of the book it even has a timeline, tips on how to do more research (where to go, choosing materials, how to write in your own words instead of copying) and other resources with more details on the American Revolution (library, websites, museums, videos). This is fantastic because the book only skims the surface of the events and people.

The big idea of this book was to provide factual information about the American Revolution.

I liked this book because of the text features. Having the diagrams and photographs and captions made reading the book all the more helpful and engaging and easier to understand. I liked that some of the photos were real and some were illustrations. Most of the real photographs were to show items, while the illustrations showed scenes. I think that showing illustrations of scenes may be better than showing actual photos due to maturity levels of the readers.

I also liked this book because of the point of view. The book was written from Jack and Annie's perspective, who are kids, that many readers would be familiar with if they like to read the show more Magic Tree House series. Since readers of this series are already familiar with and fans of Jack and Annie, reading an informational book with the same characters would be more interesting to the reader, which is a good thing. show less

This book is about how America was established beginning with the 13 colonies, the formation of the towns and lands, and their life there. It goes into the people's daily tasks, what they wore, all of the mini wars fought and documents signed. It talks about the ride of Paul Revere, weapons used, the different flags, the Declaration of Independence, and the importance of war for our freedom. It gives lots of illustrations and fun facts to help kids be able to relate to what actually happened better. This could be a great lesson plan were kids take a time period from this book, make their costume, their script, and paint a setting and then perform a mini play infront of the class about one of the important events that happened in the show more book. The theme of this book is war, culture, and history. show less