George vs George: The American Revolution As Seen From Both Sides

We know that the winner of a war writes the history, right?

And we try to view a war from both sides perhaps. This is easier with the world wars maybe and the Civil War. But what about the Revolutionary War? Have you ever wondered about King George III's perspective on it? I guess I never had because I learned several things from reading this "meaty" picture book aloud to my two boys.

Although much alike in appearance, avocation, and temperament, yet they differed on some fundamental ideas. George Washington had fought for King George during the previous French and Indian War and the victors celebrated on two continents. But George Washington could no longer comply with King George's "taxation without representation." King George called George Washington a traitor; George Washington called King George a "Royal brute!" And the War for Independence began.

The American and British governments are simply explained and a chronological history of the Revolutionary War.

Its protests and its battles, is outlined with references to the attitudes and objections of both colonists and British subjects. Even the different soldiers' uniforms are pictured. The text is interspersed with a few speech balloons of actual quotes, and several subjects were brought up that I'd never heard reference to before, including the British prohibition against the colonists settling west of the Allegheny Mountains (I did disagree with the reasoning given for this as I don't believe the British were altruistically protecting Native American land - they were protecting the very profitable fur trade), British soldiers trying to harass patriots for fun, sometimes by racing, gambling, and beating drums under church windows on Sunday, celebrations after the signing of the Declaration of Independence including a mock burial of King George III, George Washington facing a possible "firing" by the Continental Congress after losing three battles in a row, typical soldier behavior of "rape and pillaging" by the British, and nontypical neighbor behavior of colonists who disagree killing each other, especially in the south.

The book ends with a brief description of the rest of the lives of George and George. Altogether, it's a fairly unbiased treatment at an elementary level of a wonderful and terrible event.

Content Considerations

rape and murder are attributed to both sides, a somewhat humorous picture of the practice of "tar and feathering," a strawman effigy of a tax collector hangs from a tree, the subject of George Washington and other plantation owners being slaveholders is fairly handled.