John, Paul, George & Ben

by Lane Smith, Lane Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

From New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Honor recipient Lane Smith comes a fun story of five little lads before they became five really big Founding Fathers—perfect for celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence!

Once there were four lads . . . John (Hancock), Paul (Revere), George (Washington), and Ben (Franklin). Oh yes, there was also Tom (Jefferson), but he was annoyingly independent and hardly ever around. These lads were always getting into trouble for one reason or another. In other words, they took a few . . . liberties. And to be honest, they were not always appreciated. Until one day, they all played a part in securing America's freedom.

"Exercise your freedom to scoop up this one." —School Library Journal


Don’t miss Madam President, also written and illustrated by Lane Smith!
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786848935
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/01/2006
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.85(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	AD660L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lane Smith wrote and illustrated Grandpa Green, which was a 2012 Caldecott Honor book, and It's a Book, a New York Times bestseller which has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. His other authored works include the national bestsellers Madam President and John, Paul, George & Ben, and he has created art for many books including the Caldecott Honor winner The Stinky Cheese Man, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, and I'm Just No Good at Rhyming (And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups), among many others. His books have been New York Times Best Illustrated Books on four occasions. In 2012, the Eric Carle Museum named him a Carle Artist for "lifelong innovation in the field of children's picture books," and in 2014, he was the recipient of the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Illustrators. Lane and his wife, book designer Molly Leach, live in rural Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

* "The book closes with 'ye olde True or False section,' as hilarious as it is informative, a wonderful complement to this singular blend of parody and historically accurate events."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Deftly drawn, witty, and instantly appealing.”
 —Booklist

"This may serve as an entry point for kids who think that history is dry as dust, and 'Ye Olde True or False Section' really is pretty funny."—Kirkus Reviews

"Exercise your freedom to scoop up this one."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

It's time to pay tribute to the Fab Four Founding Fathers: John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, and Ben "Beat the Liberty Drum" Franklin. Lane Smith's cute history picture book introduces kids to a freedom-loving quartet who loved to stretch the rules.

Despite the Beatles-reminiscent title, this offering concerns itself with not four, but five of the Founding Dads: John (Hancock), Paul (Revere), George (Washington), Ben (Franklin) and Tom (Jefferson). Each is imagined in his youth, identified by one characteristic that becomes key to his involvement in the American Revolution. John is bold, writing his name large on the blackboard; Paul is noisy, bellowing out customers' orders in his family's shop; George is honest, confessing to the chopping down of not only the cherry tree, but the whole orchard; Ben is clever, sharing his aphorisms with all who will listen; and Tom is independent, making a model of Monticello instead of a birdhouse out of "ye olde balsa wood." Smith's faux-antiqued illustrations deliver bucket-loads of zany energy, but his text lacks his sometime partner Jon Scieszka's focus. While there is a hallowed place for irreverence in children's literature, one might wish for a work that more evenly balances humor with substance. Still, this may serve as an entry point for kids who think that history is dry as dust, and "Ye Olde True or False Section" really is pretty funny. (Picture book. 5-9)First printing of 250,000; $250,000 ad/promo

Kirkus Reviews