Be an eyewitness to the American struggle for independence. Discover how a few brave patriots battled a great empire, plus see the muskets and cannons of the armies, learn how soldiers were drilled, and find out why Yorktown was not the of the Revolution.
Each revised "Eyewitness" book retains the stunning artwork and photography from the groundbreaking original series, but the text has been reduced and reworked to speak more clearly to younger readers. Still on every colorful page: Vibrant annotated photographs and the integrated text-and-pictures approach that makes "Eyewitness" a perennial favorite of parents, teachers, and school-age kids.
Stuff I learned: war was from 1775-1783; Treaty of Paris signed in 1783; Washington's presidency was 1789-1796; Sybil Ludington passed over again (women's history...) as it mentions on p. 16 about Paul Revere and William Dawes; Cornwallis did not surrender in person to Washington - he sent his second-in-command - so Washington's second-in command accepted the sword; The Battle of Saratoga (1777) (American victory) was a turning point in the war; the fleur-de-lis (lily flower) is the French symbol on flags - 3 yellow lilies on a field of blue; John Paul Jones was the famous American naval commander; Benjamin Tallmadge was Washington's spymaster in New York City
DK publishers are my heroes. They do such a great job of mixing text and photos. I'm so glad I found these books when I started exploring the kids' section at the library again once I had kids, and now I love reading them whether my kids are reading them or not.
In this case, we read a bunch of this book together to supplement all of the other stuff we're reading about the Revolutionary War. We could spend years on this topic alone.
As always the DK Eyewitness books are good to supplement nonfiction about a particular subject. They show you what the other books only mention or barely describe. Lots of history paintings, both contemporary and later. Photos of objects used at the time, many of which we can usually only imagine: a linstock for a cannon, the original Purple Heart, shot bags, a cartridge box, a powder horn, musket flints, the British musket "Brown Bess," some of the medical equipment. There are a few photographs of people reenacting events of the time; these are not labeled as modern reenactments so those unfamiliar with these activities might think they're photos of events of the time. A little more clarity here would be helpful. There is a glossary of terms modern students may not be familiar with. A timeline lists events in order of their happening. A page of Fascinating Facts gives tidbits that don't fit in elsewhere. A page gives some questions and answers of other things that don't fit. A two-page listing gives useful websites, suggested places to visit where things actually happened, and a couple of reenactment event dates are given (December 16th reenactment of the Boston Tea Party, April 19 Patriot's Day commemorating the Battle of Lexington and Concord). Recommended for students of American history and for those who don't remember much from their own school days.
This informational text on the American Revolution gives the reader a closer look at how a few patriots battled a mighty empire--from the Boston Massacre to the birth of a new nation. The presentation of this book, arranges the words and visuals in an easy to read format that makes the composition appealing. As a mentor text for writing instruction, students will be able to use this text for research projects and will be able to form their projects around the presentation trait of this text. Students will create a slide show presentation and can use this text as an example to follow as they create their slide show presentation. Students will be able to see from the presentation of this text that writing short informational text along with many pictures can make their slide show presentation appealing to the audience. Grade Level: 6 Reading Level: 6.4 Guided Reading Level: Y
I read this alongside reading The American Revolution and Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. This provided some great pictures and infographics. This era of American History is so fascinating. This book is great for young readers, but also is great for adults interested in the American Revolution. The pictures and information in this book is fantastic! I love DK books.
It's been quite a while since I heard one of the Eyewitness Books.
This one had some pretty nice details and pictures to! One thing they didn't mention (Which my Mom pointed out) was Washington's Crossing. This is when he crossed the Delaware River. I don't remember when or why she said he did so. But I know she said this. And it's not mentioned anywhere in this book. Other than this, it's a pretty nifty story about the American Colonial Era.
This is a solid quick-reference guide to the major events of Revolution. Nicely illustrated, it animates any other reading on the topic you might care to engage in. I used this as a companion to Rick Atkinson’s recent “The British Are Coming” as well as some older books on the Revolution, such as David Hackett Fischer’s “Washington’s Crossing” and “Paul Revere’s Ride” and David McCullough’s “1776.”
I imagine this volume has been used in countless classrooms as well.
The DK Eyewitness books are great for my classroom library. With so many images, they are a fantastic starting place for any topic. The American Revolution contains a timeline of some important events and lists a few resources for additional research. More research is definitely in order. This is not a comprehensive tome.
This is a great informational book about life in British America through peace and the birth of a nation. It gives great historical facts with pictures of real artifacts and the information is presented in a way that is easy to understand for any reader.