John, Paul, George, and Ben

Title: John, Paul, George, and Ben
Author and Illustrator: Lane Smith
Publisher: Hyperion, 2006
ISBN: 9780786848935

(I should have posted this on Saturday; you know I meant to.)

John, Paul, George, and Ben is really one of the silliest history picture books--and that's why it is so great. A BCCB Blue Ribbon award winner, and one of the New York Times Best Illustrated books for 2006, this tongue in cheek story of the boyhood adventures of our founding fathers John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin (And Thomas Jefferson) is one of the best American history picture books around. It is not terribly profound, nor is it always factual. But it is awfully fun.

(Also, just to be safe, there is a true/false section in the back of the book. That way you know whether Paul Revere really was a bell ringer, and if “before fun was invented, people joined bell-ringing clubs.”)