The Boston Tea Party

by Steven Kroll, Peter Fiore (Illustrator)

Provides a detailed overview of a significant act of rebellion, which took place late one night in Boston in 1773, and explores the events that followed as a result of the Boston Tea Party, such as the movement toward American independence and the Revolutionary War. Reprint.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Stephen Kroll spoke at schools and conferences all over the world. He was married to the journalist, Kathleen Beckett, and they lived in New York City and an old carriage house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When he was not writing or traveling, he played a lot of tennis and walked around looking at everything.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great picture book and explanation for middle-grade students of one of the important events of the Revolutionary War. While it took place before the war, the Boston Tea Party (and other similar tea parties up and down the colonial coastline) was a show of defiance that united the colonies as nothing else had up to that point. The illustrations by Peter Fiore are colorful and help students picture the action.

[Heather Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. I needed a book that spoke about a specific event in American history for a unit we did in my classroom and this was spot on.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids were so excited to see Sam Adams in this book. I'm really glad we had read Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? before reading this.

This talks a bit more about the different taxes levied by the English and what the colonists did in response. We had a great discussion about the reasons behind the Tea Party and whether or not it was appropriate. We also discussed how we would deal with a similar situation in today's world.

The illustrations are lovely although not crisp. One son said, "That guy is a good artist."

Overall we enjoyed the book and it's a great way to study the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't ever really understand what the cause of the Boston Tea Party was. I mean, I knew it had something to do with protesting unfair taxes but it always seemed like a bit of a rash step without the details. Now I get it. I mean, there was a whole build up to it. It wasn't just some rash reaction by a collection of colonists fresh from the taverns. They were by-the-book process-oriented people who were out of other options. Kroll does a good job of explaining that this wasn't a sudden reaction. He explains what led up to this incident and how those involved attempted to avoid it beforehand.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cool! So much detail! When the patriots dumped the tea, the tide was out so the tea parcels were sitting in 2 feet of water stacked up like hay bales. The only thing broken was a padlock and that was replaced the next day. As they left, they took off their shoes to shake the remaining tea leaves into the harbor. The details about the Sons of Liberty meetings and the printer all line up with the details in Johnny Tremain.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book includes a great deal of information about the Boston Tea Party. It goes into detail regarding the people involved, why the colonists felt the way they did, and why the British government taxed the colonists. It is a great book for an older child as it it somewhat long. The images are lovely watercolors of the events in question.

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book about the Boston Tea Party. It had a lot of good information. It kept the kids interest. The kids have liked learning everything they can about The Boston Tea Party especially after reading Johnny Tremain.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a better book for younger students if the information had been written a bit more clearly. A little overwhelming with facts (some of which were rather good though) and not enough on the time and the emotion of the colonists.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome art, engaging story. My class of 4th and 5th graders ate up the story-telling and were captivated by the watercolor paintings. This book also served as a great reference during our thematic unit on the 13 Colonies. A great resource and asset for young readers.

[Gemma Fasheun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice. I will surely read it to my kids when they will be older.

[Ayden Hackett]

This story tells the amazing events of the Boston Tea Party in an easy to read format. I believe that students should be taught the events that made our country from a young age, which is why this book is written in a picture book like fashion. I would easily have this book as a part of my collection, although would only teach with it in certain situations. I believe that this is great resource to introduce the American revolution to younger students, due to the fact that it’s easier to understand. Given that the book is nonfiction, all the messages within the text are historical references, which is important for students to recognize. I believe that students could use this book as an introduction to nonfiction and even use it to open a larger lesson about the revolution. History and English often overlap, and I believe that this is perfect example of this situation.