Let it Begin Here! April 19, 1775 The Day the American Revolution Began

I first went looking for one picture book with this title only to find there were two with very similar titles. I requested both from the library to review. Sometimes books are republished, but in this case the books not only have different authors, but approach the topic differently.

In Don Brown's version of Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775: The Day the American Revolution Began (Actual Times)the focus is on the British role in the Battle. The story starts with King George and follows the conflict to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. This makes this book a great companion to the hour by hour coverage given in Dennis Brinnel Fradin's Let It Begin Here!: Lexington & Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution. That book provides readers with more of a colonist's perspective on the events. You can read my review of that book here.

The illustrations in this book are more cartoonish and remind me a bit of Jean Fritz's books. They do not distract from the story and may engage children in reading about the events.

It is interesting to compare and contrast the viewpoints in the two novels. Brown is horrified by some of the actions of the colonists, but never discusses the pillaging done by the British troops. Reading both books provides a chance to talk to children about bias and the importance of reading multiple sources to get an accurate picture of events.