Betsy Ross: Patriot of Philadelphia (Redfeather Books)
Grade 3-6?St. George uses historical records to create a well-crafted biography for a slightly older audience than the readers of Alexandra Wallner's Betsy Ross (Holiday, 1994). Although the jacket art shows Ross stitching busily on the Stars and Stripes, and the exciting commission from George Washington is a highlight of the narrative, the author's note is careful to explain that there is room for doubt about who was truly responsible for the first American flag. Much more emphasis is placed on Ross within the context of her times: her family history among the Quakers of Philadelphia, her several marriages, her life as a businesswoman, and, most of all, her role as a Patriot during the Revolutionary War. Interesting details of daily life in 18th-century urban America figure into every chapter. Descriptions of Ross's busy upholstery shop are particularly lively and are frequently accompanied by Meret's appealing black-and-white illustrations. A bibiliography lists more than 20 primary and secondary sources about the subject and her world.?Starr E. Smith, Marymount University Library, Arlington, VACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.