Paul Revere's Ride [Paperback]

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Author), Ted Rand (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 1996 | Age Range: 5 - 8 years

Longfellow's tribute to the famous revolutionary hero begins with the stirring cadence that American schoolchildren have committed to memory for over a century. Now illustrator Ted Rand brings these vivid and beautiful lines to life as dramatically as the poet's immortal message inspires. "The clatter of hooves seems to echo in Rand's evocative paintings of that famed midnight ride...." --Kirkus reviews

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear/Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere ..." So begins one of the most stirring poems in American literature. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote "Paul Revere's Ride" in 1861, nearly 100 years after the actual midnight ride that began on April 18, in 1775. The poem creates a suspenseful story as American colonist Paul Revere decides with his friend Robert Newman and others to avert a British attack on Concord, Massachusetts. The British had come from Boston in search of the colonists' arms supply. What Revere and his friends didn't know was whether the Redcoats would come by land (around the mouth of the Charles River) or by sea (across the river). Newman spotted the British "by sea" and signaled from the Old North Church tower to Revere, who was "Ready to ride and spread the alarm/Through every Middlesex village and farm,/For the country folk to be up and to arm." And, by morning, the country folk were ready, indeed. "Chasing the red-coats down the lane,/Then crossing the fields to emerge again/Under the trees at the turn of the road,/And only pausing to fire and load." This battle, the first of the American Revolution, drove the British back to Boston.

Ted Rand--well-loved illustrator of The Hullabaloo ABC, Mailing May, Knots on a Counting Rope, and many other critically acclaimed titles--masters the mood and movement of the famous midnight ride, and children will love the power and drama of this historic American event. (Great read-aloud, ages 4 to 8) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Longfellow's well-known poem never appeared to better advantage: Rand has created a rich rendition of the Revolutionary landscape. And Revere himself is the perfect patriot, rugged and intense as he saddles up, "Ready to ride and spread the alarm / Through every Middlesex village and farm." As Revere rides, the urgency of the pictures inspires the reader to flip the pages at an increasing pace until the dramatic confrontation of the Redcoats and the farmers. If there is any complaint here, it is with Longfellow himself, for rearranging the facts to exclude mention of Revere's fellow riders, Dawes and Prescott. Nevertheless, this is a gem of a lesson about one glorious morning in America's history. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140556125
• ISBN-13: 978-0140556124
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Children's Books > History > United States > Colonial & Revolutionary
  • #74 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It DOES contain the whole thing... December 6, 2003

By lfisher

Format:School & Library Binding

Just a point of correction on the review given by Seidur above--the Ted Rand illustrated edition not only contains the complete Longfellow poem, it is also correctly titled (contrary to two erroneous criticism made by Seidur). It is, I think, the best edition of this wonderful poem.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Visual Tour-de-force July 13, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

"One if by land, two if by sea/ And I on the opposite shore will be" -- The stirring ballad of Paul Revere's ride lives in the lands of folklore and poetry simultaneously thanks to the craft of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. (Longfellow's distinctive poetic style earned him a lampoon on "Bullwinkle's Corner", an honor he shared with Wordsworth and R. L. Stevenson, among others.) What sets this edition apart is illustrator Ted Rand's vivid rendition of the poem: large, dramatic pictures alive with a sense of danger and blue with frosty darkness. As a reader of stories to preschool groups, I would not ordinarily seek out Longfellow to present to three-year-olds, but Rand's big, bold pictures capture their attention and suck them in to the drama of an exciting (though historically less than accurate) piece of Americana. As a read-aloud for first through third grades, this book is a good opener for _George the Drummer Boy_ and _Sam the Minuteman_, both by Nathaniel Benchley, and _Six Silver Spoons_ by Janette Sebring Lowrey.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for teaching history to young children September 20, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

For the last two days I have read Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow to my 4 and 7 year old. We have learned the history, vocabulary words, the different methods the artist used to illustrate the poem, and many other interesting facts. They are begging for more! What are great book! Longfellow makes history come to life. You can just feel the night air in Revere's face as he so courageously warns the people.