"And now he's rollin' down the mountain
Going fast, fast, fast
And if he blows it
This one's gonna be his last"
-- John Dawson, "Henry" (about a different Henry who also had everyone
counting on his succeeding in a perilous, high-stakes trip)
"It was the winter of 1775. The American Revolution had begun, and things
weren't going well for the Patriots of Boston, Massachusetts."
I just love this guy, Don Brown! I've been reading his nonfiction picture
books -- including lots of picture book biographies -- for twenty years
now. There is something special and extraordinary about a guy who can do great
research, write a cohesive and entertaining piece of nonfiction for young
people, AND simultaneously create really engaging illustrations with a
style all his own for the story he's written. Don Brown succeeds in doing these
things over and over. And beginning with the first picture book of his
that I read -- the one about aviatrix Ruth Law -- he's often crafted books
about people who were not featured in the history texts that I studied as a
young person.
As is the case with a number of Don Brown's nonfiction picture books,
HENRY AND THE CANNONS is another one that is just perfect for fifth graders
studying American history. It's about determination and resourcefulness and
adventure as part of a real game-changing episode in the American Revolution.
And it's all orchestrated by a seemingly unlikely hero.
Don Brown sets the stage:
"Washington ached for cannons. With them, he could rain cannonballs on the
British soldiers' heads and drive them from Boston.
"But Washington had none.
"At Fort Ticonderoga, New York, there were many cannons. In May, Colonel
Benedict Arnold had snatched the big guns, as well as the fort, from the
British. But 300 miles of lakes and rivers, hills and glades, and mountain
forests separated Boston from Fort Ticonderoga.
"Dragging the cannons the whole, hard way in winter was impossible.
"Wasn't it?
"Henry Knox said he could do it.
"Knox was a Boston bookseller who'd taught himself soldiering from some of
the very books he sold. In spite of a plump shape that suggested a man who
preferred a good meal to a good fight, he was an eager Patriot who was
sure he could bring the cannons to Boston."
The journey upon which Knox and others set out ends with fifty-nine
cannons weighing a combined total of 120,000 pounds being delivered to Washington
who then drives the British from their Boston stronghold.
But how did Knox accomplish this? THAT is what this story is all about --
the exciting details of the ridiculously difficult, dangerous, freezing,
and ultimately successful undertaking in which Henry Knox moves the cannons
300 miles. You’ll be shivering in summertime just thinking about what
happens along the way.
HENRY AND THE CANNONS is another one of those amazing history tales that's
as good as fiction...only better. 32 pages 978-1-59643-266-6
Richie Partington, MLIS, Librarian, California USA
To see more of his recommendations: Richie's Picks _https://richiespicks.com_ (https://richiespicks.com/)
