If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy, Joan Holub (Illustrator), Richard Rosenblum (Illustrator), Richard Rosenblum (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

In a lively question and answer format, readers are taken behind the locked doors of the Philadelphia State House during the dramatic Constitutional Convention.

Children's Literature

Did you know that Ben Franklin was carried to an important meeting by a bunch of convicts and that George Washington could "bellow like a bull"? Readers will find out interesting tidbits about America's Founding Fathers plus answers to many questions dealing with the fledgling years of our country, including: What is the Constitution? What was the Declaration of Independence? Who invented the role of president? How is the government set up so the president doesn't have too much power? When did we become the United States? What are some of the rights in the Bill of Rights? Readers will enjoy the colorful illustrations, which complement the easy-to-understand text. An excellent resource for social studies or government classes. This book offers a fresh change from dry textbooks. A great tool for written or oral reports. Useful features include a table of contents and an addendum entitled "Amendments to Remember." Other books related to important historic events are available in the "If You" series.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5 Levy presents the basic facts of the framing of the Constitution in a series of questions and answers. Background is provided in a very cursory explanation of the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation, and Shay's Rebellion. Although there is no index, readers will have little difficulty locating individual topics by skimming the boldly printed questions, which are arranged in a rough chronological sequence. Like Fritz' Shhh! We're Writing the Constitution (Putnam, 1987), Levy includes small bits of interesting social trivia to add appeal to the text. Fritz' book is the better of the two, but Levy's is a good second choice for this age group. The pen-and-ink drawings on each page are bland, and important details are occasionally lost in the gutter. Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, Mass.

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