. . . If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution

Written in easy to understand, age appropriate language, Elizabeth Levy offers a great overview to the writing of the Constitution, putting into context such ideas as the original "Federal Convention," and the two sides of the Constitutional debate. Some may argue that the book is light on details, but Levy has done an excellent job of focusing on who her audience really is, offering social trivia that grabs the attention of her young readers as she draws them toward the more meaty, albeit arguably less compelling, matters of Constitutional construction. For example, she provides interesting character sketches on many of the delegates, including both famous names, like Alexander Hamilton (who was known to have a "graceful turn of the leg"), and lesser known names like William Patterson and Luther Martin. Topics are easily discerned - defined by bold headlines and arranged chronologically, and the text throughout is supported by colorful pen-and-ink drawings.

This was a great book. It provided both facts and interesting tibits about the founders. I used it as a resource in my 5th grade inclusion social studies class and they found it both useful and informative.

"They Signed the Constitution" by Elizabeth Levy has become an excellent resource for me to use in the classroom. I teach 7th grade social studies, and we spend 1 quarter of the year on government. My colleague and I have used most of this book for the past 3 years to supplement the rest of the material we use. We have also created a worksheet to be used with it. Students take turns reading aloud in class from this book. They find it easy to read and easy to understand, definitely not the dry textbook we're used to reading! I recommend this book for elementary and junior high teachers teaching government, as well as students looking for an easy way to understand part of our early American history.