Those Rebels, John and Tom

By Barbara Kerley

The famous tale of how American leaders came to create the Declaration of Independence is an often-told history lesson, but this new picture book for older readers vivdly tells of the events leading up to it, featuring John Adams’s and Thomas Jefferson’s famously contrasting personalities.

Barbara Kerley’s writing is compelling with a distinctly personal flair, and Edwin Fotheringham’s illustrations are fresh and clever. As a former teacher, I find myself wishing Kerley and Fotherinham could have created an entire textbook for fifth grade Social Studies!

Barbara Kerley has written some other excellent biographies in picture book form. If you love reading about interesting personalities of American history, you need to check out What to do About Alice? (The vivacious daughter of Teddy Roosevelt) and The Extraordinary Mark Twain (a William Allen White Award 2012 nominee).

Reviewed by Ami

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