Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution - Hardcover

Brown, Don

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596432667 ISBN 13: 9781596432666

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2013

Synopsis

Before Washington crossed the Delaware, Henry Knox crossed Massachusetts in winter―with 59 cannons in tow.

In 1775 in the dead of winter, a bookseller named Henry Knox dragged 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston―225 miles of lakes, forest, mountains, and few roads. It was a feat of remarkable ingenuity and determination and one of the most remarkable stories of the revolutionary war. In Henry and the Cannons the perils and adventure of his journey come to life through Don Brown's vivid and evocative artwork.

About this title

About the Author

Don Brown’s books include The Notorious Izzy Fink, The Train Jumper, Kid Blink Beats the World, Mack Made Movies and Across a Dark and Wild Sea. He lives on Long Island, New York.

Reviews

Gr 1-4-As the American Revolution was getting underway, George Washington knew he needed cannons to defeat the British. Unfortunately, he was camped outside British-held Boston, and the nearest big guns were 300 miles away at Fort Ticonderoga, New York. They were thought to be impossible to retrieve, until Henry Knox agreed to try. Brown employs a light touch in telling this exciting true story. Moving 120,000 pounds of artillery in winter involved dragging the pieces, sailing, sledding, and even retrieving them from freezing water when the ice broke under their weight. Readers will be fascinated by the various methods employed to keep the cannons moving, including poles, ropes, and chains to help the sleds scale steep heights. Amazingly, Knox and his group arrived without losing a single piece of weaponry. Quotations integrated into the text are not directly attributed, but a bibliography is included. Watercolor illustrations are given weight by black outlines. A palette of blues, whites, and browns reinforces the winter tone. Full spreads interspersed with panels vary the pace and allow for certain images to be spotlighted. A nicely composed three-panel page shows the changing weather (clear to rain to snow) as Knox begins his quest. This entertaining tale will be great to use along with studies of George Washington and the Revolutionary War.-LucindaSnyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

*Starred Review* This handsome picture book tells of a daring engineering feat during the American Revolution. The story opens in the winter of 1775, when the British occupied Boston. Determined, patriotic, and well read in military affairs, a plump local bookseller named Henry Knox convinced General Washington that he could retrieve the cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga, some 300 miles away. Using ropes, chains, boats, and sleds drawn by oxen and horses, Knox and his men hauled 59 cannons across icy waters and over rugged, snow-covered terrain. Nearly three months after Knox began his mission, Washington’s troops moved the cannons into strategic positions on hills overlooking Boston, and the British fled. Using relatively short sentences and words, Brown tells the story simply but effectively. He makes good use of narrative panels in the illustrations, which feature a muted, wintry palette and strong, energetic black lines. While Anita Silvey and Wendell Minor’s excellent Henry Knox: Bookseller, Soldier, Patriot (2010) covers the same topic, Brown’s picture book makes it accessible to a somewhat younger audience. A fine introduction to a lesser-known hero of the American Revolution. Grades K-3. --Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1596432667
• ISBN 13: 9781596432666
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Brown Don
• Number of pages: 32