Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution

by Don Brown, Don Brown (Illustrator)

Overview

Before Washington crossed the Delaware, Henry Knox crossed Massachusetts in winter—with 59 cannons in tow.

In 1775 in the dead of winter, a bookseller named Henry Knox dragged 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston—225 miles of lakes, forest, mountains, and few roads. It was a feat of remarkable ingenuity and determination and one of the most remarkable stories of the revolutionary war. In Henry and the Cannons the perils and adventure of his journey come to life through Don Brown's vivid and evocative artwork.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466830141
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/22/2013
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Don Brown is the author and illustrator of many highly praised picture-book biographies and histories for children. His books include The Notorious Izzy Fink, The Train Jumper, Kid Blink Beats the World, Mack Made Movies and Across a Dark and Wild Sea. He lives on Long Island, New York.
Don Brown’s books include The Notorious Izzy Fink, The Train Jumper, Kid Blink Beats the World, Mack Made Movies and Across a Dark and Wild Sea. He lives on Long Island, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Brown is a keen translator of historical fact for young readers.... [He] keeps the material at age-level by emphasizing aspects of the story that bring Knox's adventure to life—the difficulty of riding 40 miles a day to the fort on horseback in the freezing rain, of picking out the best cannons, of hauling a stuck boat over a stubborn rock. Sequenced panels capture some of the action, and Brown's words are equally vivid. 'Muscles and breath burned,' he writes of the volunteers who helped him, as they're 'pulling and tugging, lifting and yanking, hauling and lugging' the cannons out of icy water. Brown's watercolors, a minimally differentiated wash of blues, grays and faded brown, are done in a loose, almost sketched style, and the inked lines are fluid and dynamic.” —The New York Times online

“Brown brings to life a complex undertaking.” —Kirkus

“Stylized watercolors heighten the drama and occasional humor of Knox's trek without turning into cartoons.” —The Horn Book

“This entertaining tale will be great to use along with studies of George Washington and the Revolutionary War.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“The picture-book format directs this at a young audience, but upper elementary history teachers should welcome this title as a springboard or supplement to a Revolutionary War unit.” —BCCB

From the Publisher

Brown brings to life a complex undertaking that had important repercussions, though his early-elementary audience may not be quite ready for it. The book's trajectory is clearly laid out: A simple map traces an almost-300-mile path through the wilderness from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Boston. The first line draws readers firmly into the past--"It was the winter of 1775"--and defines the problem: British soldiers occupy Boston, and the Americans have no way to dislodge them. Despite the seeming impossibility of transporting heavy cannons over snowy roads, across icy lakes and through forbidding forests, young Henry Knox, a bookseller and militia member, volunteered to get the job done. As he has in other informational picture books, Brown uses a variety of page layouts, including some sequential panels, to convey the action. Cool blues and icy whites evoke the wintry landscape; figures and faces are loosely drawn but ably express emotion and determination. Likewise, the brief text employs lyrical language to both get the basic facts across and communicate the feelings and experiences of Henry and his band of hardy helpers. Children intrigued by Brown's succinct summary will want to follow up with Anita Silvey's Henry Knox: Bookseller, Solider, Patriot, illustrated by Wendell Minor (2010). Despite the book's clarity, many young listeners still may not understand the enormity of the enterprise or its importance in U.S. history (bibliography) (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews