I Am George Washington: Ordinary People Change the World
Cute, engaging bio applauds having the courage to be first.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that I Am George Washington is part of the Ordinary People Change the World series by author and History Channel host Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos. Like other entries in the popular series, it uses comic-book-like images and speech balloons to tell much of the story. While publishers recommend this book for ages 5 to 8, a lot of its concepts and language (for example, the Book of Virtues and the issues behind the Boston Tea Party) are going to be downright bewildering for little kids. Also, Washington's death mask and false teeth in the appendix may creep out some readers. But like its companion books, it's an engaging, relatable introduction to a notable historic figure who started life as a regular kid. And images like young George swimming in the river while still wearing his three-cornered hat will intrigue and delight littler kids and entice them to make return visits when they're ready for Valley Forge.
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What's the Story?
In I AM GEORGE WASHINGTON, a cute kid-sized cartoon George with puffy white hair and a fancy three-cornered hat takes the reader from his childhood in colonial Virginia to the Revolutionary War and the beginnings of the United States. Joining the popular Ordinary People Change the World series, which includes Martin Luther King, Jr., Jane Goodall, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, and Jackie Robinson, among others, the book uses words, comic-book-like illustrations, and a lively little cartoon character to introduce the lives and times of onetime regular kids who went on to achieve something great. In this case, the future Father of His Country started out as the fourth of nine children but found himself being first at many things later in life, doing what no one had ever done thanks to good character qualities developed in childhood.
Is It Any Good?
The latest illustrated biography in Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopolous' Ordinary People Change the World series spotlights the life and times of the first U.S. president, a onetime regular kid. Guided by a cute, kid-sized cartoon George with a three-cornered hat atop his puffy white hair, the reader learns about Washington's childhood, how his life changed when his father died, and how the values he learned as a child helped him rise to the challenges of doing many things no one had ever done before -- like leading a new country.
While aimed at kids 5 and up, I Am George Washington includes a lot of information that will confuse the younger set, but it's also the kind of book that will keep revealing something new in many visits over the years.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the first U.S. president is portrayed in I Am George Washington. Does it make you think about this historical figure as a kid like you? Or do you think something always sets apart great leaders from regular people?
What other stories do you know about George Washington? (Such as the famous one about the cherry tree, which this book reminds us isn't true.) How do you think these made-up stories get started? Why do they last hundreds of years?
Do you like learning about history? What are some of the best things you've learned?
Book Details
- Author: Brad Meltzer
- Illustrator: Christopher Eliopoulos
- Genre: Biography
- Topics: Great Boy Role Models, History
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Dial
- Publication date: September 6, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 5 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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