John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith

John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith, 2006, New York: Hyperion Books. (9780786848935)

Awards:  Young Hoosier Book Award, School Library Journal Best Book of 2006, New York Times Best Illustrated 2006,
Author/Illustrator Website: http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/LaneSmithBooks/Lane_Smith_Books.html

Media Used: Hand drawn with pen-and-ink.  Textures created by paint on canvas and many other techniques.  Collages  are facsimiles of eighteenth-century ephemera.  All were combined on a MAC computer.

Annotation

This humorous picture book tells made up stories about the founding fathers before they played their part in history.  The anecdotes lead up to the historical deeds that they later performed.

Personal Reaction

I greatly enjoyed this book.  It made me laugh, and reminded me of some historical facts/stories that I had forgotten about.  Although the stories in this book are highly exaggerated, it is done so in a way that readers can clearly determine fact from fiction.  The end of the book even includes a true or false page.

Onomatopoeia:  (unnumbered page...estimated page 7) "All day his head was filled with loud bings and bongs."  This is describing the sounds of bell ringing.

Curricular Connection: Eighth Grade History (founding fathers/Declaration of Independence)

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