Unite or Die
In this brightly illustrated picture book, children dressed in chunky, state-shaped costumes act out a play called “Unite or Die,” which dramatizes problems that sprang up after the American Revolution and their resolution at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Bound only by the Articles of Confederation, the little states begin by bickering about issues such as currency, borders, and trade. At the Constitutional Convention, they hammer away until they have created an entirely new federal government. Though the subject may not seem well-suited to a picture-book format, Jules does a good job of presenting the essential ideas simply, and Czekaj’s droll, cartoon-like illustrations may appeal to some students beyond the primary-grade range. Amusing remarks as well as bits of information are relayed in speech balloons, while on each double-page spread, a few sentences of text introduce the main ideas, as a narrator would. The book concludes with four pages of notes and a bibliography. An original presentation of a pivotal point in U.S. history. Grades 2-4. --Carolyn Phelan--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.