Peter the Great

by Diane Stanley

"Stanley now proves her skill as a biographer with her story of Peter the Great, the extraordinary tsar of the 17th and 18th century Russia. She focuses on Peter's 'life's work: bringing Russia into the modern world.' Her material is presented with . . . a plethora of details that are sure to fascinate children".--Publishers Weekly. Full color.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Russia, Childrens, Historical

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

Diane Stanley is an American children's author and illustrator, a former medical illustrator, and a former art director for the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons. Born in 1943 in Abilene, Texas, she was educated at Trinity University (in San Antonio, TX) and at Johns Hopkins University. She is perhaps best known for her many picture-book biographies, some of which were co-authored by her husband, Peter Vennema. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Natasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written in a chronological order, beautifully illustrated book about Peter the Great. Highly recommend for anyone interested in Russian or world history. Left me wanting to learn more!

[Carol Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. A major pothole in my education was filled by this book. To muddy the metaphors, that pothole stood before an expansive vista which invites me to plunge into Russian studies. (Or maybe watch a documentary!)

So. Peter the Great. 1672-1725. Let it be said: He got things done.

What things, you ask? He traveled through Europe to learn how they did things. He learned shipbuilding, and built a navy. But first he conquered a port city since Russia was then landlocked. And a few more. He remodeled the army, from uniforms to generals. For a time he took over the administration of the church from the Patriarch. He built St. Petersburg from scratch. And forced his nobles to move there. He centralized tax collections, changed the clothing, taxed beards! *While he was Tsar* he entered the army as a drummer and the navy as a midshipman, and was promoted through normal methods.

No doubt, he was a tyrant, vicious and ferocious, in need of several anger management sessions. An English bishop remarked he could not but adore the depth of the providence of God that had raised such a furious man to so absolute an authority over so great a part of the world.

Abbott's excursions from the story include a riff about conservation — when one should preserve and when one should pull down. His discourse on why a country should have a small standing army sparkles.

One omission troubles me. Peter the Great was 6'8". Abbott never mentions this, but that's HUGE, especially for early 18th century. Peter loved to travel and work incognito, disguised as a regular Joe. How on earth could he pull that one off at that height?

I want to explore more about this time period. I want to read about Peter's second wife, Catherine, who was an infant orphan of poverty, who was 'taken' to higher homes/positions by men who saw her worth, until she became the wife of the Emperor and eventually the Empress herself. I want to read Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov. I want to listen to Russian folk music and eat borscht.

[JoAnn Hallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun, but more dismemberment then I expected

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the reading I've done on Peter the Great has been topically arranged, so it's nice to read something presented chronologically for a change, and get the feeling of his life as a story. And it's a very engrossing story! Almost a fairy tale.

Still, only four stars because I'd heard most of it before, and there was only a very short chapter about everything that happens after the death of Alexi. And no mention of the stories surrounding Peter's death (however spurious they may be, they might as well be told, especially since Abbott covers many of the other fictitious accounts of PTG's life and the lives of his friends).

For anyone interested in an overview of my favorite tsar's life, I'd recommend this book. Many of the little intriguing details are absent, but all the big ones are covered and Abbott does a good job presenting Peter as a man to love and hate.

[Gina Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

AmblesideOnline year 9 biography option. My rating is probably really like a 3.5. It was short, informative, and…fine. It was simple writing but also stuff that I really hadn’t ever learned about. I’ll be including it for freshman this year.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had my daughter read this for school. Terrific book!

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly think I unlearned things reading this book.

Meant to download Massie’s version. Should have stopped the moment I realized my mistake.

Very generic early 20th century intro to Peter.

[Ardyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great. Highly engaging & readable bio about a very interesting man. Clearly written for humans a few decades younger than I, maybe 6th/7th grade?

The text acknowledges Peter's dual nature ... both a brilliant visionary and a tyrant. Most of it focuses on his achievements and extraordinary experiences, but no secret is made of his brutality (including torture of conspirators), though it's never described in nauseating detail. Still, even a simple "they were beheaded & their limbs were chopped off and hung on the wall as a warning to others" is vivid enough.

Sensitive types might best avoid this one?

But then again, maybe not - "enhanced interrogation techniques" are still around, still awful, and still undependable. Lest we forget...

[Mandy Beyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short book about Peter the Great - the Tsar who drug Russia (kicking and screaming) into more modern times. This is a children's book, so it is not very detailed, but the artwork is beautiful and there is enough information to whet the appetite about a historical figure whose name I knew, but not much else. I did find it very interesting that he learned to do things from the ground up (like shipbuilding), and wanted to do away with people being given positions they had not earned from starting at the bottom.

[Scott Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not terribly familiar with the story of the great Russian Tsar Peter prior to reading this collection and was impressed with his amazing conquests, notwithstanding his reign of terror. He was very clearly a force to be reckoned within both inside his kingdom and beyond. The closing chapters chronicling the sad episode with his son and the eventual passing of the throne to his wife Catherine are almost biblical in their aspects.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book with lots of pictures to portray the life of Peter the Great in Russia. The pictures were very fitting to the story, and I'm glad the books portrayed both sides of Peter's life and ambitions: both the good and bad. Appropriate for 3 to 5th grade range. My children like Diane Stanley's historical books.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great history in a series of books by Jacob Abbott. I listened to this on Livervox. It was fast moving and gave a great back ground of the Russian people, and more of an understanding of who they are and the background that's made up their country.

[Janie]

Did not finish, because my of calendar for school

[Peter Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that Peter has the title of:The Great, the author doesn’t reserve his negative comments about the Tsar and Emperor. The author was critical about Peter the Great’s nasty violent temper tantrums and his sacrificing of many of his people in the building of Saint Petersburg. He was a military leader who had great vision for Russia. He expanded the Navy by participating in the shipbuilding of the Dutch and British shipbuilding industry. Through bravery and courage, he defeated the Swedish army. He experienced a great hardship in the partying ways of his son, Alexi. Historians still argue the significance and contribution of Peter The Great.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read this one aloud to my younger children, this time thinking Abraham would like it, and he was captivated from the start with the mock battle. Interesting and enjoyable read. Stanley's picture book bios usually make me feel that I'd like to read more about the person someday, and this is no exception.

[Danielle {halfdesertedstreets} · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written and lavishly illustrated children's biography of Peter the Great. Some of the phrasing seems vaguely xenophobic and critical of pre-Peter Russia, whilst not applying the same critical language (although it's implied) to the less "great" of Peter's choices. All in all a really lovely book, but just something to keep in mind when reading to little ones.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read summary of the life of a Tsar of Russia. Brings a piece of pivotal Russian history into the lives of young readers in an engaging way. Leaves you wanting to know even more about this incredibly driven man.

[Bradley]

What a humble man. I love the little snippets I can take away from these books, "You must stop doing that...if you give such honor to a man, what is left to give to God?"

Modernized Russia in a similar fashion like Japan's.

[Chappyfamily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting man, so much good about him, and some not so good. Kids enjoyed it. Beautiful illustrations

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story and wonderful illustrations.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

He was very curious, a life-long-learner! Too bad he died at 53.

[V.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written biography of Peter the Great. It filled gaps in my education about this time period. I’d be happy to read more of Jacob Abbott’s books.

[Tracy Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a nice addition to our homeschool studies and made for a good family read-aloud.

[What April's Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story simplifying the life of Peter the Great. He had great ideas, but poor ways of executing them with force and taxes. The illustrations are very pretty with a lot of detail.

[Charles Rackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting.

This is a very interesting and informative book. I enjoyed reading it, and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about Russia and Peter the Great.

[sch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homeschool. A delight.

[Mh Weyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane Stanley’s biographies provide just the right amount of useful information without being too much. They are well balanced with large, beautiful illustrations. This was a fascinating look at a man who desired, nay forced, all Russia to westernize.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this bio of Peter the Great as I'm interested in history yet know - or knew - hardly anything about this famous Russian Czar.

I found the rivalry Peter had with half-sister Sophia at the early stages of his life to be interesting. It's a shame that Abbott details the latter stages of Sophia's life so early in the narrative, as when she "reappears" later on as a potential threat to Peter's reign, I know nothing will happen because the author has already stated what becomes of Sophia.

This will make no difference to anyone already familiar with Peter the Great's life story, but for someone like myself, being essentially ignorant of Russian history, I would have been more engaged with the events being recalled had I not already been informed of the fate of a major personage in Peter's story.

The middle section of this bio features passages that bored me a little. Jacob Abbott occasionally digresses from the subject matter, which I found irritating, but I dealt with this by skimming over certain paragraphs. Once Peter declares war with the king of Sweden my attention was renewed.

The history of Catharane, how she became Peter's wife, and how she proved a great influence on him is an interesting part of this history.

Peter's son to his first wife occupies most of the latter stages of this bio. Alexis is not devoted or respectful to his father. Their conflict and Alexis's attitude to life in general is quite surprising.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter the Great by Jacob Abbott is a comprehensive sketch of one of Russia’s best known sovereigns. The “Great” that has been attached to him is ambiguous and somewhat perplexing. He, as so many of his family, held their position with a strong hand and didn’t hesitate to use death and a liberal distribution of gore to secure it. True, he did do much to improve Russia and bring her on a more even footing with other countries of Europe but his methods were tyrannical to say the least. Thousands, if not tens of thousands died under his “enlightened” rule; yet posterity has attached “Great” to his name and person, while one of his ancestors was labeled “Terrible”. The book explains, in simple terms, his ascension to the throne and the family intrigues that ensued. Peter’s fascination with ships (and the building of same) brought him to Holland and England to learn how to construct them and build up a navy. Other changes were brought back that were forced upon his subjects. The improvements and changes he implemented weren’t designed to improve the populace but rather to increase his power, both internally and internationally. This book isn’t as obviously written for the youthful reader (as with Mary, Queen of Scots) and I found it both interesting and informative. I would recommend it to all history lovers.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm no the biggest fan of old history books, but this was read pretty well! I'd say that its biggest strength was its smaller details. While not particularity plentiful, the small details this book contained did paint powerful pictures of Peter's personality (and later, Catherine's and Alexis's). The not-so-great of this book is mostly to be expected -- the book doesn't always give us the broader context. For example, though Peter is constantly at odds with traditionalists who oppose him, very few are named, and very few of their actions are spoken of. If you want to know about Peter and things that he did in order, this book for a satisfactory job. If you want to know some striking details of Peter's life and of some of the events in which he participates, this text will reward you. If you want to understand what all of Peter's actions *meant* at the time, you'll need a book with a broader focus.