George Washington: The Man Who Would Not Be King

by Stephen Krensky

A biography of Washington describes the qualities that made him a great leader, and looks at his influence on the development of American government and history.

Genres: American History, History, Biography, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Joe Archino · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sad and dreary was the march to Valley Forge, uncheered by the recollection of any recent triumph. . . . Hungry and cold were the poor fellows who had so long been keeping the field, for provisions were scant, clothing worn out, and so badly off were they for shoes that the footsteps of many might be tracked in blood.” So wrote the great American writer Washington Irving as he detailed the conditions that the soldiers of General George Washington’s Continental Army faced as they marched to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in December 1777. After arriving at the windswept plateau that was to serve as their winter encampment, Washington’s long-suffering soldiers were quickly put to work felling trees and constructing the log huts that would be vital to their survival as they battled the frigid elements. It was hard, back-breaking work, which was made even more difficult because of the lack of proper clothing and food, as well as the absence of vital supplies like tools and nails.

Until they built their log cabins, the soldiers at Valley Forge were forced to sleep in tents on the cold, hard ground. At this time, General Washington could have taken up comfortable quarters at a nearby fieldstone house. Standing in solidarity with his men, though, the commander in chief of the army refused to live in the house at first. Until his men had moved out of their tents and into their finished log cabins, George Washington resolved to also sleep in a tent. It was part of his personal vow to “share in the hardship and partake of every inconvenience” with his soldiers. Actions like this epitomized who Washington was as a man and as a leader. Despite the crushing conditions that confronted the Continental Army at Valley Forge, General Washington and his men faced them, and ultimately overcame them, together.

This anecdote from Washington’s time at Valley Forge is one of my favorite details from Stephen Krensky’s "George Washington: The Man Who Would Not Be King." The book does contain a few minor errors here and there. To take a quick example, British Major John André, who was captured after helping to facilitate the defection of Benedict Arnold to the British, was not “shot as a spy”; André was actually hanged as a spy. With that said, Krensky’s work still serves as a solid biography for young readers, capturing the essence of what made George Washington the mightiest figure in American history.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had low expectations for this book, which it failed to meet. Granted, I am not part of the obvious readership, but I was willing to accept this as a YA (i. e. light) history until I came upon attribution after attribution about the feelings and attitudes of the people involved without giving the source of these "insights." This left me to believe that these feelings and attitudes are assumed by the author whether the historical people felt these things or not. Bad show, Stevearino.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great children’s biography about George Washington!

[Ma. Lorellie Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donald Trump who?

[gracepalm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Challice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well done basic biography that carried a lot for such a small book.
Very inpressed.

[Te-nye Sy.]

In this book by Stephen Krensky it talks about the first president of the United States. It talks about the childhood of George Washington. It starts by saying that he was born in Virginia and was son of Augustine and Mary Washington. He had three brothers and two sisters (one died before George could really know her). It continues with George Washington beginning to like military arts. Then later on he became a commander in the war against France and led his army to victory. After the war he was ask to become the president of the United States.

I really enjoy this book because it talked about the life of George Washington.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short novel written for children. I think some of the policies, treaties, and battle descriptions might be boring and hard to understand for kids, but it was a great history lesson for me! I wish it would have concentrated more on Washington's personality and character.
I didn't like that this book indicated Washington was nonpartisan, he wanted to be the people's President.

[Tristan D]

I liked this book surprisingly much.It's a very informative book so anyone who wants to know about Washington can read this book.

[Jaida · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely hated this book. It was so boring and a lot of his family died in the beginning. He almost has nobody when he was growing up. But even though Washington had nobody he still was a strong man. But the main reason I gave this book a one out of five stars was because it didn't have the attention grabber beginning. And his life story was pretty boring. The only reason I reAd this book was because I had to read a nonfiction. I would recommend this book to people who like to read about historical things.