Boston Tea Party

by Pamela Duncan Edwards, Henry Cole (Illustrations)

What would lead someone to go out in the middle of the night and throw shiploads of tea into a harbor? The Boston Tea Party is a familiar tale, but the story leading up to it goes beyond the drama of that one night. Pamela Duncan Edwards' unique take on this event gets to the root of the story as this prelude to the Revolutionary War unfolds. Enhanced by English and colonial mice characters, Henry Cole's rich and mood-evoking illustrations bring the story to life.

Genres: Picture Books, History, American Revolution, Childrens, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2001

About the author

Pamela Duncan Edwards is a British-born children's author living in the United States. She has written over forty picture books published in both the U.S. and the U.K., known for their playful language and engaging storytelling.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight]

This took me completely by surprise; and in a good way!

With the illustrations so life-like, I was expecting a *cough* slightly dry, historical account of the event. Not so at all. The story is cleverly written and there’s little mice chiming into the narrative on each page. It’s so fun and so cute.

Bravo!

We visited Boston and saw several historical sites mentioned in the book: watch my reel!

Ages: 2 - 8

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Bookbag_Betty]

"We were merry, in an undertone, at the idea of making so large a cup of tea for the fishes."

“The die is now cast; the colonies must either submit or triumph…. we must not retreat.”

“Nothing of importance happened today.” - George III’s diary, July 4th 1776

“I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and to support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means. This is our day of deliverance.”

All tea is made from the same plant.
Yes, you read right, all tea, whether it’s black, oolong, green, white, or pu-erh, comes from the Camellia sinensis plant in the same way that all wine comes from the grape, albeit different varietals.

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor.

TRAVELED TO // Boston, Massachusetts, England
MET ALONG THE WAY // The Colonists & King George III

[Catie]

I think my main objection to this book is the repetitive text. I know it's a thing with children's books to repeat the lines...over...and over...but I didn't think that it worked well for this one.

I liked the illustrations.

[DeNae]

The format is great for early elementary age kids, and the mice add the perfect amount of silliness.

[Lyla Shea]

We get it - tea is from a far off land

[Belle]

I changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars because my little one wouldn’t let me return it to the library yet. He has taken up yelling “tax the tea!!!” while he reads it to himself almost every day.

[Marcia]

A cumulative tale that builds the story of the Boston Tea Party form the tea fields of India to the fateful night when the crates of tea filled the harbor. A nice introduction to the events leading up to that rebellious act. The little cartoon mice that pop up in each panel to add a few facts seem out of place and too juvenile for the otherwise somber tone of this recounting. Overall, a very nice resource.

[Morgan]

This is a really fun read! This picture book of the Boston Tea Party is not only informational but humorous as well. This book briefly informs the reader of the events that took place at the Boston Tea Party but also has small mice from that time period hidden on each page with humorous dialogs pertaining to what they are thinking. I would use this book for a social studies class as a fun way to grab students’ attention and get them excited about this topic of American history.

[Romelle]

Author Pamela Duncan Edwards did a wonderful job in telling the story of the Boston Tea Party. It's simplicity gives the readers just enough information to get a glimpse of its history as an introduction. She uses the cumulative story arc, which makes this easy to understand for the young reader. The Mice, who serve as "extras" in the story, add fun and humor. Original and clever.

[Natalie]

As i was reading this book i felt like i was reading a nursery rhyme and i don't think it does a good job of telling about the Boston Tea Pary or the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party. The only thing i liked about the book were the mice and their comments.

[Jessica]

This is definitely a read out loud. It is very similar to the poem, This is the House that Jack Built. The mice do not detract from the story line.

The time line in the back was very helpful in figuring out when things happened.

[Teri]

Nice picture book to add some rhyme and repetition to the Boston Tea Party. Set to rhyme of "The house that Jack built".

[Colleen]

Freedom's Trail - unit 4
Leveled Books - Beginner

[Adrienne Colbert]

My students and I love this sotry! I used it for a review lesson on teh Boston Teap Party. The book is full of rhymes and repetitive speech. Appropiate for grades 2-5.

[Laura]

It's a cute book to teach about the Boston Tea Party. Hold childrens attenion. Liked the pictures.

[Donalyn]

A cumulative tale about the Boston Tea Party with stellar illustrations by Henry Cole. Nice cause and effect timeline in the back.

[Kalynda]

Love this book!

[April Wells]

It's a really good book that could be used as support to teach about the the events that led to the independence of the United States.

[Carly Gordon]

Summary:
This book is about the Boston Tea Party. It explains how the colonists felt on the outrageous taxes they were being fined. It explains how the colonists dressed up and went to the harbor to dump the tea.

Evaluation:
This book was a fun and informational book. It presented the material in a kid friendly way and had beautiful pictures. With that said, the text was very information heavy. This caused the reading of the book to be very choppy and not flow together.

Teaching Ideas:
For this book, I would use it to teach about taxation on the colonists. This is a 4th grade standard, which could lead into the explanation of the Boston Massacre. After reading the book, I would have the students get in small groups and devise a way how they would get back at the British for all of the taxes they are needing to pay. Would they petition? Or, would they refuse to pay the taxes?