JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE & BEN
By Lane Smith
Hyperion, 2006
Category: Picture book FICTION
Lane Smith is a marvelous illustrator. His books always appeal to me artistically, and JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE & BEN was no exception. The book is gorgeous.
BUT …
… I have reservations about the liberties Smith takes with his text. Here’s the premise: John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson (Tom didn’t make the title page) are children … classmates, in fact. And each displays the characteristic that would later serve the Revolutionary cause so well. John is bold and writes his signature in huge letters on the chalkboard. Paul is noisy (because of the excessive time he spends ringing bells) and shouts embarrassing things to his customers (“EXTRA LARGE UNDERWEAR? SURE WE HAVE SOME!”). George is honest and so admits to cutting down the cherry tree … and the apple orchard and the barn and his father’s carriage. You get the idea. And while it is all funny, hardly a word of it is true.
I know the book is written tongue-in-cheek, but will the target audience?