A Picture Book of Samuel Adams

Picture Book Biography

by David A. Adler, Michael S. Adler, Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

This is the story of Samuel Adams, an American patriot and a founder of the new American nation. He organized the Boston Tea Party, was a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Genres: Biography, History, Picture Books, Childrens, American History

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

David Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.

Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.

Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.

As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, story-like narrative of Samuel Adam's life and achievements for the United States of America. It's written in a nice, flowing style so would be a good book to read out loud to your kids.

And here’s a reel of my visit to his cousins, the John Adam’s, homes in MA and other book recs!

Ages: 4 - 10

Content Considerations: mentions a brewery.

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[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the straightforward facts. Artwork is a bit rough but still good, only reason four stars instead of five.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very lackluster. Someone should instead write a good book that provides a broader look at the Boston revolutionaries, like Adams, Revere, and Hancock all together. Reading three separate books seems very counterproductive.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Picture Book of Samuel Adams (Picture Book Biography) by David A. Adler, S. Adler, Illustrator Ronald Himler- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The Book narrates the story of Samuel Adams an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and one of the architects of the principles of American republicanism that shaped the political culture of the United States. He was a second cousin to his fellow Founding Father, President John Adams. Adams was born in Boston, brought up in a religious and politically active family. A graduate of Harvard College, he was an unsuccessful businessman and tax collector before concentrating on politics. He was an influential official of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Boston Town Meeting in the 1760s, and he became a part of a movement opposed to the British Parliament's efforts to tax the British American colonies without their consent. His 1768 Massachusetts Circular Letter calling for colonial non-cooperation prompted the occupation of Boston by British soldiers, eventually resulting in the Boston Massacre of 1770. Adams and his colleagues devised a committee of correspondence system in 1772 to help coordinate resistance to what he saw as the British government's attempts to violate the British Constitution at the expense of the colonies, which linked like-minded Patriots throughout the Thirteen Colonies. Continued resistance to British policy resulted in the 1773 Boston Tea Party and the coming of the American Revolution. Adams was actively involved with colonial newspapers publishing accounts of colonial sentiment over British colonial rule, which were fundamental in uniting the colonies. Parliament passed the Coercive Acts in 1774, at which time Adams attended the Continental Congress in Philadelphia which was convened to coordinate a colonial response. He helped guide Congress towards issuing the Continental Association in 1774 and the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and he helped draft the Articles of Confederation and the Massachusetts Constitution. Adams returned to Massachusetts after the American Revolution, where he served in the state senate and was eventually elected Governor. Coloured pictures help the reader to relate to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typically I enjoy David Adler's picture book biographies; however, I felt this one was a little light on information compared to other similar sized reads on Samuel Adams. The most glaring thing missing was what role this rebellious leader played during the Revolutionary War. From this a reader might walk away thinking the war for independence was such a quick victory it was hardly worth mentioning.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because Ronald Himler was the illustrator. As always, I enjoy Himler illustrations, but I also enjoyed the info about Samuel Adams. I learned some new things.

[Leann Manney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Picture Book of Samuel Adams is a biography of Samuel Adams and his life events and how he is an important part of history. Children can be engaged in this reading because it is an easy and short read while explaining the past and incorporating history into a lesson. The illustrations match the text and keep the reader engaged. The illustrations take up the entire page and some pages take up both pages. The pictures have detailed thing lines which suggest frailty. There are a lot of vertical lines which implies stability. This is considered a fun and easy read for children. The illustrator uses pastels and digital media to make the pictures come to life. The illustrations are very detailed and elegant quality. This children’s book was informational, had a clearly defined plot, setting, and moral of the story.

[Tiffany Tilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good book to introduce children to if you are doing a study on American history, particularly the American Revolution. This book also helps children become familar with biography genre books. The reason why i gave it only two stars is because although the information in the book was accurate, i felt that important, accurate information was left out.

[Emily Hamstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book biography is great for younger children who are learning about American history. It has illustrations so it would be just like reading a nonfiction book to a child, but they are getting much informationo on the person (Samuel Adams). The book tells of his life starting from the beginning, up until he passed away.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asher (10yo) read this book for his paper on Samuel Adam. He said he didn't use any of the information from it for his paper, but instead used another book I got him.