You Wouldn't Want to Be at the Boston Tea Party: Wharf Water Tea, You'd Rather Not Drink

The Danger Zone

by Peter Cook, David Antram (Illustrator), David Salariya

An addition to a humorous series looks at an event during the American Revolution that included patriots dressing as Mohawk Indians and destroying crates of British tea docked in Griffin's wharf to protest the British taxes. Simultaneous.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, American Revolution, Historical, American History

32 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've read several books in the You Wouldn't Want To... series. I like that they tackle serious historical events and show the not-so-nice side of human behavior, but in a somewhat humorous and tongue-in-cheek way. The book puts you as the reader into the center of the story, so you can imagine what life in those times was like.

In this story, the reader becomes a character named George Robert Twelves Hewes, who participates in the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The story describes the events leading up to the Revolution and the actions taken by our country's founding fathers to break free from England. On the whole, it isn't a terrible experience to be this character, and the narrative is more focused on the history and less on the traumatic experiences of living at that time. Still, our girls cringed when I explained what being tarred and feathered was all about.

There are a lot of facts, but the text is arranged so that there are plenty of pictures to look at and it's not overwhelming. We really enjoyed reading this book together and will look for more of the books in this series at our local library.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers are invited to imagine themselves as the fictional George Robert Tweleves Hewes, a middle-aged Bostonian. The chapters follow George as he becomes an active participant in the Boston Tea Party. Each 2 page explains a single event that led otherwise law abiding citizens to rise up against the British government. While the dominant viewpoint is that of the Patriot, the author does explain the actions of the British. Page content is half text, half images. The cartoon like illustrations are bright, colorful, expressive. A 'Handy Hint' highlights important information that George will want to be aware of, such as 'Throw away any red clothes, in case you're mistaken for a redcoat!' Additional reference aids include glossary and index.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This summer I'm teaching my kids more American history...partly because I love it, partly because I think it's important, and partly because I know that with current time constraints in public schools history is often short changed. So I want my daughter who is entering 5th grade to know as much as I can teach her in the next month about some of the important events of US history. We've begun with the precursors to the Revolutionary War. This is a fairly good introduction to the events leading up to the War and it is engaging. The illustrations are fun, and it held the attention of my 10 and 8 year old (the 4 year old not quite so much).

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this non-fiction book aloud to my children.

What a fun way to learn history! This book was hilarious!! I am so impressed with the content, and it gives kids a real feel for what life was like back in this time period.

We learned about the events leading up to why the Boston Tea Party took place and how London responded when the news of the tea party reached Britain.

We loved this book so much that I have bought nearly every book in this series. This is a great addition to your American history studies!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good non fiction series for kids. It shows drawings not photographs, tells a story, doesn't read like a text book. Kids that want read pictures will need another book but this series is very unique offering a chance for kids to get a feel for what it would be like to live during that time. Can we saw common core connection?

[Taylor Browne]

I think this book is funny and exiciting to read about the boston tea party.I actually learned more stuff about the boston tea party.While reading i was picturing about the boston tea party and what it must`ve been like back in the 1700`s.

[Emi Kanada · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I read it this summar vacation. However, this book is really interesting and enjoyable. I thought I should recommend. I read this book again. It took about five days. You can learn about the Boston Tea Party from this. There are a lots of pictures but the writings were a little bit difficult.

7-words summary
Independence Liberty Tea-Tax British Battle Revolution Nation

1. At the Boston Tea Party, 342 tea chests on 3 boats were slipped open. Did you know that?
I didn't know that. I can't believe such as large amount of tea. However, people had no idea to reform about high tea tax.

2. Independence day is on July 4th. What can Americans do on that day?
Of, course. They can set off fireworks.

[Jill Connors · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publication:2006
Themes/subjects:Boston Tea Party, Revolutionary War
Usage: Grades 2-5
Displayed in a Revolutionary war display
from cbl.ws.jordandistrict.org
• Create a cartoon strip depicting what happened at the Boston Tea Party either on paper or in the computer lab using Comic Creator from Read Write Think at the following site: http://www.readwritethink.org/materia...
• Create a poster that shows four reasons why we continue to pay taxes today.
• Imagine you are a Patriot living in Boston in 1774. Design a pamphlet describing the wrongs imposed on colonists by English taxation. Include persuasive arguments for the continued fight against British taxation.

Genre:informational

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is packed full of information about the Boston Tea Party, the events that led to its occurrence, and those that took place after it. Although there is a good deal of information, it is presented in a zany fashion--there are snippets all over the pages that add to the main text. There is even part of the book where the reader is invited to imagine him/herself as a colonist in Boston so as to become more a part of the history of the event.

This is an excellent resource for students learning about the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution and is an exciting and enjoyable read.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to qualify my rating on this one. While I personally did not enjoy this very much, a reluctant reader that I had to pass it on to at the library LOVED it. He initially only wanted to watch videos about history for school, but his grandmother reported to me that this book was a huge success.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series provides a good hook for students studying history. Tons of information and cartoon-like illustrations make it accessible and a good browsing book. The glossary and index allow it to also function as a reference source. The Tea Party is explained in an historical context, with the events before and the aftermath outlined. This is sure to be a popular addition to the library.

[Lin Lin]

The non-fiction book encourages readers to view the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 from the perspective of a participant as he experiences all the major events leading to the American Revolution. The book has maps, carictures, cartoon-like illustrations, all of which would help readers understand the historical event(s) better.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the humor in history it gives

[Knischansr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellant book, excellant illustrations

[Kelly Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder what the water looked like after all that tea was dumped in the water? In the U.S., we celebrate this event, but how did the British feel about our actions?

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2.5]

Cute art, but nothing there's nothing memorable about this book.

[Bookbag_Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boston: Cradle Of Independence
No Taxation Without Representation
The Boston Massacre
Sons Of Liberty
The Tea Tax
A Growing Rebellion
The Boston Tea Party
Rally Mohawks! Bring Your Axes, And Tell King George We'll Pay No Taxes On His Foreign Tea
Punishment From London: The Intolerable Acts
The British Are Coming!
Boston Besieged: The Battle Of Bunker Hill
The American Revolution
Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness
A New Nation

Map Of The Freedom Trail // Lexington & Concord // Fort Ticonderoga // The Battle Of Bunker Hill // The Battle Of Long island // The Battles Of Trenton & Princeton // The Battle Of Saratoga // Yorktown

TRAVELED TO // Boston, Massachusetts,
MET ALONG THE WAY // The Colonists

[Alix Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This informational picutrebook was a WOW book for me because of several reasons! First of all, the illustrations are perfect to get students engaged and understand the content behind the Boston Tea Party! Secondly, Peter Cook does a phenomenal job at creating a world for the reader to jump into as the reader becomes a poor Bostonian taking a stand to participate in the Boston Tea Party! Another reason this picturebook is a WOW book to me is because it illustrates a timeline of events that lead to the Boston Tea Party, as well as maps that show geographically locations and trails that were used during this time period. This picturebook takes the reader on an adventure describing all of the hardships and triumphs people went through during the Boston Tea party. I loved how interactive it was and how engaging it became while reading!

One way I would utilize this picturebook would be as a launch activity for my students before a unit about the Boston Tea Party. I would read this aloud to students and allow them to examine the illustrations, maps and timelines shown throughout the book to provide them general background knowledge about the Boston Tea Party. Another way I could utilize this book would be to use it as an example for students to create their own version of a historical story in this format. Students would choose a topic and create a short story explaining the details behind the event! For example, students could choose a topic about women's right to vote and explain the hardships and triumphs women have gone through to be able to vote!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another really good book in this series! I didn't know, (at least I don't remember), that the people who dumped the tea had dressed like Native Americans so they wouldn't be recognized. I did hear that Paul Revere did not make the trip to tell others about the British coming into town. The Declaration of Independence says "all men are created equal", but that wasn't and still isn't the case. The Civil War was mainly about ending slavery, Native Americans lost their lives and land, women couldn't vote until 1920, Native Americans couldn't vote until 1962, And in 1965 the Black community could finally vote.

Of course, there are lots of facts in this book that make it a great read. All the facts above and more are talked about in an easy and mostly fun read. It's good to have a book where you get the facts about our history.

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the war of independence, I love the horrible history of American history. This book covers the basics: No taxation without representation! (taxed on sugar, tea, and paper), The Boston massacre (of the men throwing snowballs at a redcoat), Sons of Liberty (Samuel Adams), The Boston Tea Party (Americans dressed as Mohawk Indians discarding the tea into the sea), the Intolerable Acts (punishment from England), The battle of Bunker Hill, and the American revolution. A nation always starts of strong and dies when it's divided and weak. The life expediency of of a civilization is about 200 years, we are at 246.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The vocabulary is really demanding, so this is not necessarily a good book for children to read if it's their first time learning about The Boston Tea Party or the American Revolution specifically. However, I did like some of the details about the Boston Massacre that I did not know myself. I like using this text to compare it against traditional texts in school to see what's new and noteworthy. Very ambitious read for fifth grade.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did a great job of getting my 10 and 8 yo to picture what it would have been like to be in Boston in 1773. Discusses the events from the Treaty of Paris (that ended the French and Indian War) all the way up to the Revolutionary War.

[Jen Hagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick overview of the Boston Tea Party and the events that led up to it plus what happened after. I love that they put a timeline in the front for a visual and easier understanding of events.

[Talea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little book for introducing kids to the Boston Tea Party. Had a few details that were new to me too.

[Laura The Book Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all the "You Wouldn't Want to Be..." books

[Deborah Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about the revolutionary War. I wasn't a fan of the illustrations.

[Tamara the Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great illustrations--visually would be very appealing to children. The author tries to condense a lot of history into this book-- and unless a student had a ton of background knowledge I don't know how much of this book they would grasp. As a teacher/reader I noticed endless examples of vocab and historical context that I would need to explain to a student reader so I don't think this would be a useful text. Maybe some of the other ones would be better.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

There right I would not want to be at the Boston tea party!