Liberty or Death: The American Revolution: 1763-1783

by Betsy Maestro, Giulio Maestro (Illustrator)

Overview

It began in Boston, with angry colonists objecting to the tyranny of a king who ruled from an ocean away.

It was voiced by patriots such as Sam Adams and Patrick Henry and echoed by citizens from New England all the way to the Carolinas.

It was fought by many — colonists and patriots, Loyalists and slaves, Frontiersmen and Indians, British and French soldiers.

Over more than ten years, sides were taken, guns drawn, lives lost. But through it all, one man — a general from Virginia named George Washington — held the young colonies together and led them to victory, beating almost impossible odds.

History lovers Betsy and Giulio Maestro tell this true story of extraordinary times, incredible drama, and the birth of a new nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780688088026
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/06/2005
Series:	Betsy Maestro's American Story Series
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	202,814
Product dimensions:	9.25(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Betsy Maestro is the author of the "American Story" series, illustrated by her husband, Giulio. She has also written several other non-fiction picture books, including the Let's-Read-And-Find-Out science books How Do Apples Grow? and Why Do Leaves Change Color? The Maestros live in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Giulio Maestro is the illustrator of over 100 children’s books. He has also written his own books of word play and has co-authored two I Can Read Books with his son, Marco: What Do You Hear When Cows Sing, and Other Silly Riddles and Geese Find the Missing Piece: School Time Riddle Rhymes. The Maestros live in Old Lyme, CT.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-6-Picking up after the end of the French and Indian Wars, where Struggle for a Continent (HarperCollins, 2000) left off, the Maestros continue with the 20 years leading up to, and fighting, the American Revolution. A simple narrative, largely from the Colonists' perspective, touches on the major events, players, and ideas of the times, beginning with the Stamp Act and ending with Yorktown and the subsequent peace treaty. Much of the text is taken up with military encounters and strategies; campaigns, generals, and soldiers are kept relatively straight, often with the help of numerous clear maps (though there's no initial delineation of the 13 colonies). Full-color ink, colored-pencil, and watercolor illustrations-from small portrait ovals to full-spread scenarios-are also helpful; they grace the page in a pleasing, uncluttered way. Packing that much history into 64 pages means, of course, that some complexity, detail, and depth are lost. While some misconceptions are cleared up-Paul Revere's non-solo ride, Bunker/Breed's Hill-more explanation could sometimes relieve a bit of confusion. No sources are cited. Nonetheless, this book serves as a good introductory overview. The visual appeal, straightforward narrative, and large format make it accessible to audiences not ready for Joy Hakim's From Colonies to Country (Oxford, 2002) or Benson Bobrick's Fight for Freedom (S & S, 2004). Rosalyn Schanzer's George vs. George (National Geographic, 2004) is a more engaging and explanatory social and political history of the time, but lacks the more complete military coverage found here.-Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, WA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The Maestros continue their "American Story" series with a lucid, opinionated account of the American Revolution, from the end of the French and Indian Wars to George Washington's resignation as Commander-in-Chief. Though the small figures in Guilio's illustrations give the events he depicts a certain distance, Betsy's narrative more than compensates, with lines like "Throughout the fall and winter, Greene and Cornwallis chased each other's tails," and pointed bashing of a Continental Congress that repeatedly dragged its feet when it came to keeping its army supplied. Standing out from similar histories for its inclusion of less familiar figures-William Dawes, who rode with Paul Revere; John Glover, whose boats saved Washington's bacon during the Battle of Long Island; banker Haym Salomon, and others-along with appended discussions of the contributions of blacks, women and Native Americans to the struggle, this merits a place alongside Benson Bobrick's more dramatically illustrated Fight For Freedom: The American Revolutionary War (2004). (Nonfiction. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews