Customer Reviews

John, Paul, George & Ben

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wavered between a four star and a five star rating because this
book is going to be perhaps more entertaining to adults than to
children. But then I reminded myself of the movie "Ice Age"
which requires a whole lot more knowledge to "get it" than the vast majority of kids have (not to mention, many adults) and yet kids, including my five year old granddaughter, love it.

What this book does give is little snippets of information which
the kids will remember as they are officially learning their history years later. And there is plenty of humor to go around.
What little tykes can resist laughing at the phrase "please shut your big yap" when it isn't being yelled at them but rather at someone famous!


I think this is the sort of book that children will want to hear
again and again, and the good reader will fill in a blank here
and there so that the listeners can learn some real history
along the way. Finishing off the session by listening to "Yellow
Submarine" wouldn't hurt either.

Lane Smith is an illustrator who has collaborated most famously with Jon Scieszka ("The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!" "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales," the Time Warp Trio series), as well as illustrating books by Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky. Here, he gets by without a little help from his friends, penning and picturing the Four of the Fab Founding Fathers: John (Hancock), Paul (Revere), George (Washington), and Ben (Franklin). Too bad Ben wasn't famous for his decorative rings.

The Beatles need NOT be familiar to your young reader or audience. IN fact , despite the obvious titular reference, Liverpudlian references are not the M.O. here. Sure, there's a great parody of the "Abbey Road" cover, showing the foursome crossing a street. In addition, they have cultish, slightly outrageous, and often independent, irrepresible personalities, and Lane Smith quotes briefly from the Beatles "Revolution." THere's also a fifth "Beatle," Thomas Jefferson, quieter and more studious than the rest (perhaps even moreprecocious than the rest), but certainly a heavier hitter than Ringo's predecessor, Pete Best. So, your kid(s) are going to like this book, maybe love this book, whether or not they've ever heard of "Strawberry Fields."

Lane Smith is as inspired a writer as he is an illustrator. Other reviews mention the jokes--I'll just summarize: THey're hilarious! Smith takes some well-known factoid from their adult years (Ben's never-ending quips, Paul's LOUD, irreverent comments, etc.,) and shows these behaviors in their childhood years, often to the annoyance of peers, teachers, and other adults. THe old chestnut about George's honesty over that cherry tree is a good example of the liberties and outrageous fun of Smith's skewed biograhies:

George's father exclaims to his son,"you have paid me for it (the hacked cherry tree) a thousand-fold with your honesty." "Really!" said George. "In that case...when I tell you I've taken out the apple orchard, leveled the barn, and made kiddling of your carriage, you'll be a wealthy, wealthy man." TO balance out the silly stuff, Smith includes a few pages on the adult accomplisments of the five men, as well as a clvere section that separates fact from fiction about each of them. It's a brilliant concept; these are iconic American figures, each with their own mythology. I see no harm in continuing and extending those myths, especially when Smith incudes some factual material for those interested.

Kudos, as well, for the illustrations, too. They look period-authentic in composition and style. The pictures look like period pieces with their age, cracked backgrounds, and Smith also uses typeface of the era. THe veneer of authenticity and Smith's talent for mimickry produce some beautiful prictures, but they're still full of a humorous pictorial style that's keenly attuned to kids. This 2006 book is an early entry in my list of top kids' books I've reviewed in 2007.

it's hilarious, visually stimulating, and enough of the true fable of these guys to still make sense and make learning history nearly-cool. (well, the book is cool enough so the "nearly-cool" is negated.)
(even the dedication is great... "with a little help from my friends..." so brilliant.)
well done, mr. smith. i love it love it love it.

My boys (7 and 5), my wife and I think this book is total gas. Plus, we do something unique when we read to our kids: We TALK about the books! "J,P,G & B" has opened up lots of great conversations about real history with our sons. They "get" that Paul Revere didn't sell underwear, but played a pivotal role in our nation's beginnings. And they understand that Ben, George, John and Tom are bona fide American VIPs. (And I'd say it's a safe bet that at least Ben knew how to laugh at himself.) Lighten up, folks -- life's too short to miss out on good, clean giggles!

John, Paul, George & Ben (and did I mention Tom?) by Lane Smith is a great book for kids. It deals with historic characters:

John Hancock - you can read his signature from space!

Paul Revere - he had a loud voice (because of bad hearing)

George Washington - overly honest?

Ben Franklin - free with advice (Townsfolk suggestion, "Please shut your big yap").

Tom Jefferson - well, he was an independent lad!

The art is nifty, the organization wonderful. This is not as poetic as Dr. Seuss, but children should find it just as entertaining. Why? Because John, Paul, George & Ben (and Tom) were kids before they became historically important figures.

I also like the true and false section at the end. Here's an example:

"Besides inventing clever sayings, Ben also invented bifocals, the Franklin stove, the lightening rod, and Playstation..." True, except for Playstation!

This is a great book to give to your favorite child.

Childhood happenings consistent with the adult behaviors that gained them fame are incorporated into short tales about five famous early-Americans: bold John Hancock, noisy Paul Revere, honest George Washington, clever Benjamin Franklin and independent Thomas Jefferson. Some are true, some pure speculation, but author/illustrator Lane Smith clarifies which, separating the facts from the fiction in an unsubtle way. His terrific illustrations are on par with those he created for Jon Sciezka's excellent The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, and almost outshine the silly, funny childhood anecdotes, previews of the character traits for which they were well-known in adulthood. Especially interesting are the (entirely true!) sayings of Franklin. An excellent, short, well-done book, best for ages five to eight.

First of all, this book is not intended for grades K-3 as Booklist suggests. To appreciate its full humor, you must know some of your U.S. history, otherwise you will be confused. Kids & adults (ages 9-99) will all find something appealing within these hallowed pages, as Smith combines real and fictional facts about Hancock, Revere, Washington and Franklin (oh yes, and how could we forget about Jefferson, the independent lad?) Most importantly, it will show kids that our Founding Fathers were REAL people, and were once kids themselves. I'm not sure what is funnier - the witty text or the hilarious illustrations. For example, there's poor Paul (Revere) who suffers a hearing loss from all that bell-ringing. This causes him to shout all the time at people, even at the most inappropriate times (such as loudly proclaiming at work that they do have EXTRA-LARGE UNDERWEAR for one very embarrassed female customer). Then there was Ben (Franklin), a clever lad, who "considered it his duty to provide frequent, free advice", much to the chagrin of the townsfolk. At the end of the book, the Fab Five are shown as we see them hanging on our school walls and there are some actual facts about them. Also I loved the True & False Quiz at the end. Thankfully, Smith provides the answers. All in all, a delightful book to shed some humor on a usually dry subject.

My fifth grade students think this book is pretty funny! I read it to them after we have studied the various historical figures represented in the book. This book would not make sense to a child who does not know about these famous men. If you are a teacher it is a great way to end a unit on a fun note.

I saw Lane Smith on a morning news show (CBS-I think) on the 4th of July, and he read an excerpt from this book. I immediately rushed out to buy it for my kids. My daughter, 6, liked the underwear part. My son, 9,(a "president/history nerd") liked it, but was quick to point out the "mistakes" in the book. He (as well as I) was glad to see the section in the back that "sets the record straight." I love intelligent humor, and was glad to see this book offering that, as well as being interesting to kids. In a world where some children (and some adults) have no interest in anything that isn't on TV or the internet, this book is a funny, smart, way to introduce children to the story of our country's founding fathers.

All right, I admit, my 5 year old is unusually interested in the Presidents, especially Washington and Jefferson. But we got it today, and he made us read it at least 2 times each.

I love a children's book that works on levels both adults and children enjoy.