Title: The Joke’s on George
Author: Michael O. Tunnell
Major Themes: George Washington, Charles Willson Peale, Artists, Museums, Picture Books, US History 1783-1860
Synopsis: When George Washington visited Charles Willson Peale’s museum, he received quite a surprise.
One big difference between libraries now and libraries when I was young is the number of picture books available that tell a story from history, with beautiful pictures. I just love this type of books! One that we found in our online library last week was The Joke’s on George. It is a delightful story about both George Washington and Charles Willson Peale, an artist contemporary of George.
George Washington was always very polite. He bowed to everyone he met. But one time, he had quite a surprise….
Charles Willson Peale was an inventor and an artist. Way back then in the 1700s, he built a theater with special effects such as people being sprayed with water during the performance! What people liked the best, though, was his museum. This included live animals, as well as many other amazing things.
One day, George Washington went to the museum to see the new wax figures of Indians. They were amazingly lifelike. As he walked through the museum, he bowed to two of Peale’s children…and was quite taken aback when they simply looked at him. What was wrong? Why were they so impolite?
The illustrations in The Joke’s on George are amazing. I love this kind of paintings! The story is engaging, too. We really enjoyed this one.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 3 – 4, 5 – 8
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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