Did It All Start with a Snowball Fight?: And Other Questions About the American Revolution

Gr 2–4—This book doesn't cover any new ground about the Revolution, but the information is incredibly well presented. Starting with the Boston Massacre (the snowball fight in question) and ending with the Treaty of Paris, the facts are related in a question-and-answer format, in an arrangement that's more topical than chronological (though there is a mostly perfunctory time line at the end). Each spread has one or two questions and answers on one side and a captioned, colorful full-page painting or cartoon on the other. Each section is short enough to keep reluctant readers engaged, but at 32 pages, only half of which have text, the book's brevity is a liability. Snowball Fight would best serve as additional material, specifically for a group of reluctant or delayed readers.—Rebecca Dash Donsky, New York Public Library