Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Crossing How George Washington Saved The American Revolution by Jim Murphy The Crossing: How George Washington Saved The American Revolution by Jim Murphy. The Crossing is a 80 page children's book that highlights the early battles of the American Revolution when George Washington is chosen to command the Continental army in 1775. Washington had some military experience but the Continental army did not and they were facing a well- trained, large British army. The British invasion begins in New York and the Continental army faced lost battles and men who deserted. As Washington's army decreased in size and he lost or retreated from battle, he was becoming increasingly worried that he might not be able to train the army to defeat the British. The decisive battle that turned the tide of the war, in favor of the Continental army took place after Washington crossed the Delaware river in the middle of the night. The Crossing is an excellent historical retelling of the beginning of the American Revolution. It is full of maps, pictures, and even gives a description of the famous painting on the cover by Emmanuel Gottlieb Leutze. If you want to know the true story of the beginning of the American Revolution told in eloquent, simplified text you need to check out The Crossing. The American army was truly the underdog in this war with the British and it makes you understand the significant odds that Washington was up against. The Crossing contains an extensive travel guide to sites of the Revolution, an index, a timeline and a list of books to continue to feed your inquisitive mind. I found the book to be informative and fascinating. Of course, as a history teacher I am a bit biased. THE CROSSING. Murphy brings the winter of 1776 to life with powerful prose and captivating illustrations. After devastating defeats in and around New York City, the Continental Army was disintegrating and the British were perilously close to snuffing out the American Revolution. Washington saved the Army, the Revolution and his command with his daring surprise attack on Trenton, quickly followed by victory at the Battle of Princeton. The author takes pains to discuss Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware , noting that the point of the iconic painting is its symbolism rather than historical accuracy. Given this care, it is regrettable that the author does not specifically debunk the widely told story that the Hessians were easily defeated because they were hungover, though his account by no means supports it, instead portraying the Hessians as well-organized and professional. Too, it’s a shame there's no mention of the pre-attack, morale-boosting reading of Thomas Paine’s “These are the times….” Despite these small shortcomings, this is a superbly written, well-researched and attractively illustrated account that may well launch researchers on further exploration. (chronology, Revolutionary War sites directory, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12) Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-439-69186-4. Page Count: 96. Publisher: Scholastic. Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2010. Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2010. Share your opinion of this book. Did you like this book? More by Jim Murphy. The car gets shortchanged, but comparing the divergent career paths of its (putative) two riders may give readers food for. TWO MEN AND A CAR. FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, AL CAPONE, AND A CADILLAC V-8. by Michael Garland ; illustrated by Michael Garland ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2019. A custom-built, bulletproof limo links two historical figures who were pre-eminent in more or less different spheres. Garland admits that a claim that FDR was driven to Congress to deliver his “Day of Infamy” speech in a car that once belonged to Capone rests on shaky evidence. He nonetheless uses the anecdote as a launchpad for twin portraits of contemporaries who occupy unique niches in this country’s history but had little in common. Both were smart, ambitious New Yorkers and were young when their fathers died, but they definitely “headed in opposite directions.” As he fills his biographical sketches with standard-issue facts and has disappointingly little to say about the car itself (which was commissioned by Capone in 1928 and still survives), this outing seems largely intended to be a vehicle for the dark, heavy illustrations. These are done in muted hues with densely scratched surfaces and angled so that the two men, the period backgrounds against which they are posed, and the car have monumental looks. It’s a reach to bill this, as the author does, a “story about America,” but it does at least offer a study in contrasts featuring two of America’s most renowned citizens. Most of the human figures are white in the art, but some group scenes include a few with darker skin. The car gets shortchanged, but comparing the divergent career paths of its (putative) two riders may give readers food for thought. (timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 10-12) Pub Date: March 12, 2019. ISBN: 978-0-88448-620-6. Page Count: 64. Publisher: Tilbury House. Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2019. Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019. Share your opinion of this book. Did you like this book? More by Michael Garland. A detail-rich picture book best for readers who enjoy nonfiction and are interested in history or science. COUNTING THE STARS. THE STORY OF KATHERINE JOHNSON, NASA MATHEMATICIAN. by Lesa Cline-Ransome ; illustrated by Raúl Colón ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2019. This biography of renowned mathematician Katherine Johnson featuring illustrations by Colón aims for elementary-age readers. Cline-Ransome ( Finding Langston , 2018, etc.) traces Johnson’s love of math, curiosity about the world, and studiousness from her early entry to school through her help sending a man into space as a human computer at NASA. The text is detailed and lengthy, between one and four paragraphs of fairly small text on each spread. Many biographies of black achievers during segregation focus on society’s limits and the subject’s determination to reach beyond them. This book takes a subtler approach, mentioning segregation only once (at her new work assignment, “she ignored the stares and the COLORED GIRLS signs on the bathroom door and the segregated cafeteria”) and the glass ceiling for women twice in a factual tone as potential obstacles that did not stop Johnson. Her work is described in the context of the space race, which helps to clarify the importance of her role. Colón’s signature soft, textured illustrations evoke the time period and Johnson’s feeling of wonder about the world, expressed in the refrain, “Why? What? How?” The text moves slowly and demands a fairly high comprehension level (e.g., “it was the job of these women computers to double-check the engineers’ data, develop complex equations, and analyze the numbers”). An author’s note repeats much of the text, adding quotes from Johnson and more details about her more recent recognition. A detail-rich picture book best for readers who enjoy nonfiction and are interested in history or science. (Picture book/biography. 9-12) The Crossing: How George Washington Saved The American Revolution by Jim Murphy. Full length Narratives to the Trenton and Princeton Campaigns and the Events of the Ten Crucial Days. TEN CRUCIAL DAYS: Washington’s Vision for Victory Unfolds by Larry Kidder (Knox, 2019) The most authoritative modern narrative on the Ten Crucial Days. ROAD TO ASSUNPINK CREEK: Liberty's Desperate Hour and the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution by David Price (Knox 2019).Says Patrick K. O’Donnell,“Assembling the best scholarship … Price has rightfully elevated the crucial importance of one of the least remembered battles…” VICTORY OR DEATH: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton by Mark Maloy (Savas Beatie, 2018) Good overview and great for a self-guided tour. WASHINGTON’S CROSSING by David Hackett Fischer (Oxford, 2004) Despite having included some of Stryker's challenged references this is the bestselling book on the subject. THE DAY IS OURS! An Inside View of the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, November 1776-January 1777 by William M. Dwyer (Viking, 1983) ▼Relies heavily on Stryker; written in a thrilling, journalistic style. THE WINTER SOLDIERS: The Battles for Trenton and Princetonby Richard M. Ketchum. (Doubleday, 1973)▼Relies heavily on Stryker. Good military history for the modern reader. THE BATTLES OF TRENTON AND PRINCETON by William S. Stryker (Houghton Mifflin, 1898) ▼The earliest history from which many following works have been based. While detailed, there are unsourced references which are either questionable, or have since been proven inaccurate. Overviews, Abridgments, and Essays on the Ten Crucial Days and the Revolution in New Jersey. THE BATTLE OF TRENTON/THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON: Two Studies by Samuel Stelle Smith (Philip Freneau Pr. 1967) ▼ NEW JERSEY IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION edited by Barbara J. Mitnick (Rutgers, 2005) TRENTON AND PRINCETON 1776-77: Washington Crossesthe Delaware by David Bonk (Osprey 2010) ▼ A PEOPLE HARASSED AND EXHAUSTED: The Story of a New Jersey Militia Regiment in the American Revolution by Larry Kidder (Kidder, 2013) THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN NEW JERSEY : Where the Battlefront Meets the Home Front edited by James J. Gigantino II (Rutgers, 2015) RESCUING THE REVOLUTION: Unsung Heroes of the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution by David Price (Knox Press 2016) Short biographical vignettes on twelve lesser known participants of the Trenton and Princeton campaigns. Good storytelling. FATAL SUNDAY: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle by Mark Edward Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone Ph.D (Univ OK 2016) Award winning narrative on the largest battle fought in the northern theater of the revolution. CROSSROADS OF THE REVOLUTION: Trenton, 1774-1783 by William L. (Larry) Kidder (Knox Press, 2017) Meticulously researched history of Trenton; rich background on how this important colonial town survived the revolution. Recommended General Histories of the Revolution and the Actions in New Jersey. THE LONG RETREAT: The Calamitous Defense of New Jersey, 1776 by Arthur S. Lefkowitz (Rutgers, 1998) 1776 by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 2006) THE GLORIOUS CAUSE: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff (Oxford 2007) ALMOST A MIRACLE: The American Victory in the War of Independence by John Ferling (Oxford 2007) THE MEN WHO LOST AMERICA: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire by Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy (Yale 2013) BAND OF GIANTS: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America'sIndependence by Jack Kelly (Macmillan 2014) AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS: A Continental History, 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor (WW Norton 2016) WASHINGTON'S IMMORTALS: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution by Patrick K. O’Donnell (Grove 2017) THEATERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION James Kirby Martin and David L. Preston, Editors (Westholme 2017) Books for Young Readers about the Ten Crucial Days and the Revolution Listed by Age Group. CROSSING THE DELAWARE: George Washington Fights the Battle of Trenton by Arian Dean (Rosen 2004, Ages 5 – 9) WHEN WASHINGTON CROSSED THE DELAWARE by Lynne Cheney (Simon & Schuster 2012, Ages 5 – 9) REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY: Magic Tree House #22 by Mary Pope Osborne (Random House 2000, Ages 6 – 9) THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION FOR KIDS: A History with 21 Activities by Janis Herbert (Chicago Review 2002) (Ages 6 – 9) IF YOU WERE A KID DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by Wil Mara (Scholastic 2016) (Ages 6 – 9) THE CROSSING: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution by Jim Murphy (Scholastic 2016, Ages 8 – 12) CROSSING THE DELAWARE: A History in Many Voices by Louise Peacock (Aladdin 2007, Ages 8 – 12) GEORGE WASHINGTON: The Crossing by Jack E. Levin, Mark R. Levin (Threshold 2013, Ages 8 – 12) TIME ENOUGH FOR DRUMS by Ann Rinaldi (Laurel Leaf 2000, Fiction, Ages 12+ -) Television and Film. “Turn” - AMC - www.amc.com/shows/turn(rife with historical liberties, but a nice sense of time and place). “ Winter Patriots ”- www.WinterPatriots.com. Produced by Mount Vernon, with support from the F. M. Kirby Foundation “ The Crossing ” - A&ETV 2003 (rife with historical liberties, but a nice sense of time and place). These and other fine books and educational materials are available at your local library, or wherever books are sold including the David Library of the American Revolution 215-493-6776, the gift shops at The Old Barracks Museum 609-396-1776, and Washington’s Crossing Historic Park 215-493-4076. (Titles listed with a ▼are out of print and are available at libraries or perhaps online) The Giant and How He Humbugged America. Two-time Newbery Honor Book author has written an amazing account of one of America's most famous hoaxes! When a 10-foot tall purported "petrified man" is unearthed from a backyard in upstate New York in 1869, the discovery immediately turns into a spectacle of epic proportions. News of the giant spreads like wildfire, and well over a thousand people come to view him in the first five days alone! Everyone has their own idea of his true origin: Is he an ancient member of the local Onandaga Indian tribe? Is he a biblical giant like Goliath? Soon the interests of world-renowned scientists and people from around the globe are piqued as arguments flare over who he is, where he came from, and if he is real--or just a hoax. In a riveting account of how the Cardiff Giant mystery snowballed into one of America's biggest money-making spectacles--and scams--Jim Murphy masterfully explores the power of 19th-century media and the unexpected ripple effect that a single corrupt mastermind can produce when given a stage. Shelf-employed. Murphy, Jim.2010. The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution . New York: Scholastic. The brave young men who first enlisted as soldiers under General George Washington's command were promised. Of course, anyone familiar with the Revolution knows that nothing could have been further from the truth, which is why the choice of this 1775 recruiting poster makes such an excellent place to begin The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution . After the victories at Lexington and Concord, Congress and soldiers were feeling brave and confident. It seemed that only George Washington understood the gravity of the situation and the enormity of the task ahead. Jim Murphy's latest book is not a chronicle of the American Revolution, but rather a close look at the period between June 15, 1775, when Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army, and January 3, 1777, when the Continental army defeated the British troops at Princeton, following the famous victory at Trenton on December 26, 1777. This was, Murphy contends, the most crucial period in the American Revolution, the period when the very survival of the nation hung in the balance. In seven chronological chapters, Murphy carefully recounts the strategy, battles, and general mood of the soldiers and citizens during this period. Maps, period artwork and quotations help to set the desperate mood of the times. At one point, after George Washington's "humiliating retreat through New Jersey," (Here I am left to wonder why one of New Jersey's colleges is named after Mr. Stockton, though he apparently did, at a later date, again swear allegiance to the United States.) During a retreat from Fort Lee in November of 1776, just barely ahead of advancing British troops, Murphy writes that Washington's. As always, Jim Murphy's book is thoroughly researched, highly engaging, and exhaustively indexed. A timeline, list of Revolutionary war sites, and notes and sources are also included. As a New Jerseyan, an undergrad history major, and mother who has accompanied the annual 4th graders' class trip to Trenton, I am quite familiar with New Jersey's Revolutionary history, but still found The Crossing to be enlightening and engrossing. Particularly interesting to me is the lengthy explanation following the final chapter, of the famously inaccurate painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware." Murphy has given me new insight into, and appreciation for artist Emanual Gottlieb Leutze's iconic painting, depicting the standing George Washington crossing the Delaware River. Art (and history) teachers would do well to use Murphy's text to introduce this painting. I plan to take a fresh look at it myself, as unfortunately, in keeping with the book's sepia-tones on white pages, only the back of the book jacket shows the painting in color in its entirety. Enjoy this virtual visit to the present-day site of the famous landing spot, Washington Crossing State Park in NJ, where a reenactment is held each Christmas.