27.5.11

Timberdoodle review: John Adams

How to Draw the Life and Times of John Adams

     How to Draw the Life and Times of John Adams is an American History book about our second president and a drawing book in one. This is one of a series A Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the USA. It is an easy to read 32 page hardback book. I read it out loud to my children in one sitting. The main print is large, though the drawing instructions, timeline, and glossary are a bit smaller.

     Almost every history section has a corresponding drawing lesson. The first lesson is on the basic shapes used to draw; other lessons detailed the Harvard seal, John Adams and his wife, and a teapot featuring "no stamp act."

     The topics covered are: meet John Adams, the second president, John Adam's Massachusetts, childhood and family, the education of John Adams, love and marriage, the Stamp Act, the American Revolution, John Adams becomes a diplomat, First Vice President of the United States, Peace with France, the Presidential election of 1800, and the legacy of John Adams. The book presents a simplified version of the American Revolution in a way that is easy to understand. A map is pictured labeling the main city and state referenced.

     My 13 year old first chose to try drawing the childhood home of John Adams. She has had other drawing lessons and the concepts were familiar to her.

     The one negative concern I have about this book is a lack of references. Though phrases such as "he felt" and other objective statements are shared, they are not backed up with resources to prove their truth. Specific dates of events were shared, however, and were repeated in the book's timeline.

From Timberdoodle:

Draw your way through American history with the most amazing supplement we have ever offered, A Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the United States of America. Available for the first time to homeschool families, these forty-two library-bound, fact-filled volumes provide not only rich biographical synopses of every U.S. president from George Washington to George W. Bush, but also step-by-step instructional drawings that illustrate key events, people, and places in each president's life.

Enhance Your American History! 
A Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the United States of America is perfect for the family teaching multiple ages or for the child who learns best by doing. Dedicate a week for each president, then encourage your child to collect all his drawings and create his own illustrated history journal. Not only will your child learn how to recreate the likeness of each president and his wife, but also the significant buildings, objects, flags, and seals that were noteworthy during each president's term in office. For instance, your child will learn to draw the USS Arizona in the book on Franklin D. Roosevelt, a torpedo boat in the John F. Kennedy book, the Exxon Valdez in the volume pertaining to George Bush, and the Amistadslave ship in the text on John Quincy Adams. Learning to draw a stagecoach is covered in the James Garfield book, drawing a cannon from Fort McHenry is included in the volume about James Madison, and the Watergate tape recorder is, of course, featured in the book on Richard Nixon's term… Read the rest here: http://www.timberdoodle.com/bloggers_s/705.htm 

     You can even watch their You Tube video about this series here, or see a sample from this book!
     Disclaimer: As a member of Timberdoodle's "Because Mom Said" blogger reviewers, I received this book free for the purpose of this review. 


Jennifer

No comments:

Post a Comment

comments from friends: