Schanzer, Rosalyn. George vs. George: the American Revolution as seen from both sides. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2004. ISBN: 0-7922-7349-4
Awards: ALA Notable Book for Children, 2005. NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book, 2005.
Author / Illustrator Website: http://www.rosalynschanzer.com/
Media: Watercolor on paper.
Use of Alliteration: (p. 13) “gentlemen in fancy white wigs wearing all the latest fashions.” (p. 13) “from Borneo to the Bay of Botega.” (p. 14) “wealthy widow.” (p. 18) “drowning in debt.”
Use of Sophisticated Language: (p. 34) “Washington despaired over the inexperience of his volunteers, the constant desertions, and a paralyzing lack of food and military supplies.”
Use of Metaphor: (p. 11) “fabric binding America to Great Britain was about to unravel”
Curricular Connection: California History / Social Science, Grade 5, California Standard: 5.6: Students understand the course and consequences of the American Revolution.
Special Notation: Non-fiction, Lesson Plan (available at http://picturebooksforbigkids.blogspot.com/2011/08/5th-grade-language-arts-lesson-plan_03.html).
Annotation: George vs. George provides detailed coverage of the American Revolution from the perspectives of George Washington and George III, King of England. Details about the underlying causes of the war and the lives of both Georges contribute to a fascinating book.
Personal Reaction: Watercolor illustrations of George Washington and George III on the introductory page of this book set the tone for this rare, balanced presentation of the facts surrounding the American Revolution. Author Schanzer presents each George in an oval portrait glaring at each other. Washington is frowning and giving King George the evil eye and King George simply looks repulsed by Washington. From page one, I knew this book was going to give me both George’s stories and the chance to decide for myself what I thought of this period of history. Providing students with the opportunity to decide what they think about history is like giving the gift of higher order thinking. Schanzer doesn’t just offer a simplified version of these two men’s perspectives, either. George vs. George is packed with information about George Washington, his family, various other key figures of the time, details about King George, his family, England’s recent history and quotations from both men and their contemporaries that give readers a comprehensive sense of this period in history. The book offers a wealth of background material on the circumstances and environment in both the colonies and England before, during and after the war. Schanzer’s cheerful voice kept me interested as I read through this dense 60-page dual perspective story. I truly gained a sense of both sides of this historic story and appreciated that this author did not favor the U.S. perspective by glossing over details such as the fact that most Native Americans fought on the British side in hopes of protecting their land from colonists. Also, this book is definitely a picture book for older readers as indicated by the complex information about the structure of government, battle logistics, political posturing and mature verbiage. For example, on page 30, Schanzer writes, “Rebel newspapers reported that bloodthirsty redcoats burned houses, drove naked women into the streets and butchered old men and infants. The King was told that rebel savages broke the rules of war by ambushing his army. Then they scalped fallen British infantry and cut off their ears.”
