What Was the Alamo?

What was...?

by Pam Pollack

"Remember the Alamo!" is still a rallying cry more than 175 years after the siege in Texas, where a small band of men held off about two thousand soldiers of the Mexican Army for twelve days. The Alamo was a crucial turning point in the Texas Revolution, and led to the creation of the Republic of Texas. With 80 black-and-white illustrations throughout and a sixteen-page black-and-white photo insert, young readers will relive this famous moment in Texas history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American History, Childrens, War, Middle Grade

Paperback

First published October 3, 2013

About the author

Pamela Pollack is a writer/editor/compiler of children's and young adult books.

Reviews

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting book about the Alamo. It is written for children but I found it very engrossing. Even having been to the Alamo a couple of times and that I know the story. The story kept me turning the pages and reading all the small details that I had never heard before like a ring that was placed around a baby's neck and then got passed down through the generations.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was amazing as it tells you about Sam Huston Jim Bowie David Crockett and William B Travis

[Lady Washizu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read mostly for YA. But admittedly I was left with more questions than answers which is odd because these books never leave me with this feeling. Was this a battle fought and lost over land that wasn’t ours In the first place? Texas was a part of Mexico like much of the United States From Texas alll the way up to Seattle, the Mexican government allowed Americans to move to THEIR Texas under the 2 conditions: you can’t have slaves and you have to convert to Catholicism. That’s it. Neither of with the Texians (what they called themselves) wanted to do and that’s why this battle was fought. That’s literally it. Stubbornness.

‘’REMEMBER THE ALAMO!” Is something I’ve heard of my entire life, I even lived in Houston briefly for 3 years between late 2018 and late 2021. Never went to San Antonio however. This book was short but very informative if you’re not like me and into deep dives. BUT since it left me with more questions than answers, I might have to look deeper into this because it doesn’t make sense as to why we should remember the Alamo.

It’s a battle that you lost because you were stubborn and didn’t want to follow the sole 2 requests by the government that allowed you to buy the land in THEIR country?

Well eventually it became he Republic of Texas and that didn’t last long and eventually Texas became a state. Short version. I liked the pictures the most. Lots of pictures of documents and the Alamo. As well as people involved.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been to San Antonio to visit the Alamo Plaza? While taking a tour last week I popped into the gift shop and picked up this book. Between seeing the famous site and reading this book, I have a much better understanding of why the Alamo will always be known as "the cradle of Texas liberty." I read this with my grandson via Messenger and he was fascinated with the story. How do I know? During one of our reading sessions I could see his army men posed for battle right beside him. I must admit that my previous impressions were mainly names like James Bowie, David Crockett, and Sam Houston. Spoiler alert! Sam Houston wasn't even there although he still plays a major role in the overall story of Texas. If you want to know more about the Alamo and the Republic of Texas, this is a great place to start. Includes sixteen pages of photos and lots of illuminating illustrations.

[Lynnea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some disjointed thoughts to go with this disjointed book:
I understand there is a lot to the story and summarizing it to a child's level is not easy. But I finished this book so confused!
As a children's book, I don't think it is necessary to share that William Travis had love affairs with many women, even keeping a diary about his romances.
This book mentions that there was snow and that some soldiers froze to death as Santa Anna took his army across the Rio Grande to San Antonio. I actually thought this was false information because snow in southern Texas is very rare. However, I researched it and found that there was a blizzard in the area at that time, but the book does not mention how odd that was for this part of the world. A child from the northern part of the United States reading this book may wonder why anyone would even think of a long march in December!

[Diane Yliniemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I visited The Alamo Historical Park in San Antonio and purchased this book as a history review. I always look for the children's chapter books that describe the area's history in the park bookstore. It is a quick and fun review. What Was the Alamo is part of a large series of books that teachers and librarians fondly call the "Bobble Head Books". Note the caricatures on the cover. These books can be read in under an hour by kids.

This book did a good job summarizing the history and made it interesting for kids. It doesn't hold back on the realities of war and tells about the brutality and violence that happened. Sensitive readers may need to wait until they are older.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

We visited the Alamo today. I “knew” about the battle but that knowledge was quite limited. I wanted the basic story and a quick history lesson so I bought this youth book. It did not disappoint. I learned the story deeper than I’d known before. Such a tragic story yet one of courage and bravery. Often times when I want to know a quick yet thorough overview I will read a youth version of it. I’m glad I bought this book. It wasn’t a boring history text (as school textbooks often are) but an interesting and factual coverage of the story. I’d recommend this series for children (and adults).

[Coco Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty inclusive look into The Alamo. I liked how there were sidebar mini biographies for some of the important people involved in this historical event and how this edition included real photos of the Alamo and related art. The political motivations were discussed in a way that kept the attention span of my 9 & 11 year old kids and proved be to a good resource for our study over the Alamo.

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Alamo has a very interesting story. My sister got me this book from our local library. I really enjoyed this book when I read it. This book covers a lot of information and actually is kind of sad, but I recommend you check it out yourself because the story has more to it than that. I hope to be able to go to Texas and visit one day. It would be so neat to see it all in person after reading about it. That's my opinion on What was the Alamo.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're on our way to the Alamo and this was a great introduction. It made me think so many things about the Alamo. I didn't know much to start with, but now I think it's important to think things through really well and not get stuck in our own agendas. And whoa, the poor people at the Alamo!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been to the Alamo. I feel like I wasn't able to properly appreciate it because I was not there at the time...I can't even imagine what the men went through, not knowing if they would survive but willing to fight.

[Elaine Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a new homeschooling mom and we are covering Texas history this term. My 9 yr old enjoyed reading this and was able to retain much of the information. This is an excellent book series that I plan on using frequently. They give a great overview that allows me to add additional materials.

[Kristen Rutledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read we picked up following our visit to the Alamo! I wanted to read it to be able to discuss with my kids. There were lots of fun tidbits I wasn’t aware of and even my Texan husband hadn’t heard some of the near facts shared! Overall a great way to learn about a piece of history!

[Connie D]

Much better than i expected for a kid's non-fiction book. Good maps, photographs, portraits, and diagrams, plus good original quotes. Illustrated throughout too, too keep the plot clear and fast for a new reader.

[Juan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didin liked it

[Emili]

I enjoy this series, and this is an important part of history. I like how these books are interesting and easily understood.

[Jenna Fraley]

I like how it talks about real things that happened in life nothing that was fake

[Sarah Karlekar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were hard to follow along with; I lost interest mid-book.

[Shahd Rdawi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second reading, better understanding with Dark Knight theme music by legend Hans Zimmer :)

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is good for those people want to improve history, and it not only this but there have a series it kind of fun to read

[Vani Ghanate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read about the Alamo! Now I know how Texas was l initially part of Mexico and the transition to being part of USA and the background for being the lone star state.

[Tanner]

good short history book

[Blake McNamara]

good book

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange, but courageous time in American history.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was just not interested in this book.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

We finished this just in time to visit the Alamo in real life!

Jacob said, “Wow, everyone dies in this book!”

[Kate Lehenbauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned so much in this one, but it was a little confusing. I think that is just because of the material, but I do think kids would have a difficult time following this one.

[Brycen Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. A lot of really cool dudes!💪😎

[Fabien · Rating 4 out of 5]

What was the Alamo ?

A place where Mexicans and "the Army of people " fought to gain Texas.
A real act of bravery of the Army of People, who resisted to the mexican Army until the last could stand.
After cruel defeats, the American Army intervened and the Republic of Texas was created.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. The Alamo is said to be the heart of Texan freedom. When the Alamo got attacked, the Alamo's walls were made of straw and mud and so they knew they were going to fall down from the cannons of the Mexicans. But they held off as long as they could. Thirty troops, but not that many came. Finally the Mexicans broke into the Alamo and killed people. Before the Alamo, they had made a siege on a fort until the Mexicans had to surrender. You can see the marks of cannons and bullets today. One person drew a line in the dirt with his sword and said, "Whoever will die for Texas independence, cross this line." Everyone crossed except one person. The captain said that when the Alamo was getting captured that they should go to the place where the gun powder was stored and blow it up. But as he was running to the place with the gun powder, he got shot. They wanted Davy Crockett to be their leader, but the other person was.