The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Through Longfellow's engaging rhymes, children follow Paul Revere on his fateful ride through the Massachusetts countryside on the eve of the first battle of the American Revolution. A historical note clarifies the facts, and a map shows Revere's route.

Grade 4-8-Paul Revere rides again in this oversized version of Longfellow's narrative poem, reproduced here in its entirety, with the stanzas generally laid out as they are in the original version. Thompson's excellent scratchboard and computer-colorized illustrations follow the pattern of this layout, with each full-page drawing accompanying one or two stanzas of the narrative. The artwork has a formal, more stylized look to it than Paul Galdone's drawings in Paul Revere's Ride (Crowell, 1963; o.p.) or Ted Rand's realistic, action-packed paintings in Paul Revere's Ride (Dutton, 1990), and their woodcutlike appearance seems to fit the mood of this monumental tale. Using mostly subdued tones of blue, black, and brown with occasional touches of color (such as the red in the grenadiers' coats), the artist has provided a suitable backdrop for the somber message that the horseman had to deliver. As is true of the aforementioned versions, Revere figures prominently in the illustrations; however, Thompson also alters the perspective in several scenes. In doing so, readers come to understand that this poem is not just about one man's heroic deed, but is also about the nameless people who gave up their lives for the cause of liberty, such as the villager asleep in his bed "Who at the bridge would be first to fall." The map and historical note at the end of the book indicate the inaccuracies of Longfellow's poem, illustrating how writers sometimes employ poetic license. Most libraries will want to own this accomplished rendering.
Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Fusing scratchboard drawings and computer technology, first-time children's book illustrator Thompson creates a series of ruggedly sleek illustrations for Longfellow's classic poem. From the stirring first line ("Listen, my children, and you shall hear/ of the midnight ride of Paul Revere"), the artist takes his cue from Longfellow's expert scene-setting. He orients readers with a frontispiece of Revere rousing villagers as he gallops through cobblestone streets. Thompson then zeroes in on the perspective of Revere and "his friend," the one who will signal to Revere with one lamp or two. This opening illustration introduces all the necessary elements: the pair stands at the foot of the North Church with a schooner clearly visible in the harbor. Later, his approach results in a climactic view of the harbor as the British boats begin to cross the Charles River under a full moon: readers see just the outline of the North Church's steeple and the river stretching before them, as if they are in the position of lighting the two lanterns--the signal of an invasion by sea. Echoing the poem's grave tension, Thompson opts for the dark, gothic look of a Tim Burton movie set. Whether outlining the gnarls and whorls of tree bark or the crisscross shadow thrown by a leaded window on a sleeping villager's quilt, he conveys a visual freshness and clarity that breathes new life into this standard of American lore. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Longfellow’s famous narrative poem gains a renewed sense of foreboding and urgency thanks to Thompson’s stark and somber illustrations. Using a multi-layered technique combining individual scratchboard elements with computer scanning, composition, and coloring, Thompson’s bold art highlights the emotional intensity of Revere’s legendary ride, which culminated in the start of the Revolutionary War. The pictures, framed in black, sit opposite stark black text on vivid white background. Shadows loom, mists float, and foreground details emerge almost three-dimensionally, creating drama and tension. Notable, too, is the use of color as the flat reds and browns Revere and other people contrasts with the luminous purple and aqua of the night and the harbor. A strikingly beautiful rendering by a new talent, the inclusion of a historical note makes this version especially useful for classroom settings. (Poetry. 6-10) Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club selection -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

This picture book features the complete text of "Paul Revere's Ride," illustrated by Jeffry Thompson's large, full-color pictures and a few small, well-crafted images in black and white. Appended is a two-page note setting the historical record straight with a more accurate account of the events that inspired Longfellow's famous narrative poem. Thompson's strong, rhythmic sense of form is used to good advantage in the art. He drew one element of each illustration, transferred it, and cut it into scratchboard; the separate images were then scanned into a computer and composed and colored on line. Sometimes, the complexity of an illustration, combining many elements layered at different depths in the picture plane, detracts from the composition's effectiveness. Overall, however, this large, dramatic picture book is one of the best editions available of this American classic. Carolyn Phelan