Boston Tea Party

I love history picture books that can educate and entertain at various levels. Boston Tea Partysets the events of the Boston Tea Party to the Nursery Rhyme the House that Jack Built. As each event happens it is added on to the previous events listed, so the reader is reminded of everything that has led up to the events currently happening in the story.

To keep younger readers interested mice are added as commentators and entertainers. They provide additional information not provided in the rhyme and some additional entertainment through their running commentary through out the book.

Despite the nursery rhyme format, this book provides quite a bit of accurate historical information. While the mice are provided for entertainment, they also engage children in learning more about the causes and the effects of the Boston Tea Party. You wouldn't want this to be the only source of information you provide. While most of the information is accurate, there are some exaggerations and distortions like the purpose of the costumes and the fear of the sailors. However, this is really my only main complaint There is a good deal of other information generally left out of children's accounts that can be found here that make this a worthy read.

You Wouldn't Want to be at the Boston Tea Party

I came across You Wouldn't Want to Be at the Boston Tea Party!: Wharf Water Tea, You'd Rather Not Drink while searching for some Pilgrim resources to send with a Thanksgiving package. This title popped up during my search and I put it on reserve at the library to review.

I am always on the lookout for history books that are accurate and entertaining for children. I have a young homeschooling relative that has developed an interest in the American Revolution, so I have been exploring resources that will provide accurate information in a way that is accessible and hopefully entertaining.

This series is unique in my experience in that it is not written by one author, but a series of author's using the same basic title, You wouldn't want. It reminds me a great deal of the Travelers Guides I reviewed earlier. It is entertaining, but provides children with quite a bit of information about the topic.

While the title of this book is the Boston Tea Party, the book focuses on the roots of the conflicts between the colonists and the British and the first event covered is the Boston Massacre, not the Boston Tea Party. The book continues through the Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Revolution, and the resolution of the war.

The series uses cartoons and short chapters to present the information. Little tidbits are offered in side pictures and commentaries. The book invites children into the time period by inviting them to participate in the story as George Robert Twelves, a 31 year old shoemaker preparing himself to participate in the Boston Tea Party. Each chapter directly addresses the reader telling them what their actions as George Twelve were during the events discussed in that chapter. I wish they had Paul Revere's cartoon yelling the Regulars are out instead of the British are coming, but I did find there was more information on the Boston Massacre and the Bunker Hill for this age group than I have found in previous books.

I have two other American History books from this series on reserve at the library to review prior to purchasing. If they are of the same quality, I think a set of three will be making their way to family for Christmas this year.