The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities

Very thourogh , yet fun. It gives a more detail than required for grade schoolers. We are able to skip some of the details to get to the main events. The activities are fun too.

This was by far the best resource for helping my older kids (late elementray through middle school) understand how the war escalated from discontentment to full blown rebellion. The descriptions of the battles were short enough to hold their attention but "meaty" enough to help the boys distinguish between them. We loved the integration of quotes. I appreciated the highlights about many of the founding fathers who are usually glossed. The activites were enjoyable but not show stopping. The book's value is definately in the presentation of information. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of other books in the series. I hope they are as well written as this!

My boys are 6 & 4, not the target age for this book but don't tell them that. We've had the book for nearly a year, we've read it front to back twice and favorite sections of it repeatedly. We've done several of the crafts including making fringed hunting shirts, making powder horns, and re-enacting the Battle of Cowpens (we did it with the boys' Playmobils)and everything has been a big hit. The boys aren't the only ones who enjoy it, I've learned a lot as well.

This book is an excellent introduction to the American Revolution. Children will undoubtedly find it entertaining and activities like making a tricorne hat or hunting shirt enjoyable. The American Revolution was one of the most important times in world history. Readers will clearly grasp this, and along the way, they will be treated to amusing incidents or myths like Israel Putnam's powderkeg duel. Although there are minor errors concerning the military aspects, they do not detract from the narrative. The book's greatest strength is in dealing with the political aspect of the war, showing the origins of English liberty at the beginning of the book - and the framing of the Constitution at the end.