Gr 3-6
Rod Espinosa's graphic novel (ABDO, 2007) is well-presented as an ibook. It provides information about the East India Company, the French and Indian War and George Washington's role in it, the Stamp Act and Tea Tax leading to the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Declaration of Independence. Text boxes provide the basics, while dialogue bubbles show peoples' reactions both in the Colonies and in England. Users have the option of having the text read to them by a male narrator who creates unique voices for the different characters or reading it by themselves. As text and dialogue are read, they are presented on the screen, and sized larger for ease of viewing. Visually appealing graphic illustrations are occasionally slightly animated, and background sounds are added to enhance the telling. The program doesn't need to be installed to run, which greatly increases its ease of use. The menu is always available, allowing users to go forward or back, stop, return to the home page, access the glossary, or go to the review quiz. This interesting presentation makes this period of history come alive and would make a good learning center or be an excellent choice for whole-class instruction.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA
