Alexander Hamilton: A Plan for America

by Sarah Albee, Chin Ko (Illustrator)

Overview

The life of Alexander Hamilton, a key leader in the United States after the Revolutionary War, is introduced in this early reader biography.

Alexander Hamilton was one of America’s founders. He was the first secretary of the treasury and George Washington’s right-hand man. But he also made some dangerous enemies during his short yet dramatic life.

Beginning readers will learn about the milestones in Alexander Hamilton’s life in this Level Two I Can Read biography, which combines a traditional, illustrated narrative with historical illustrations and photographs at the back of the book—complete with a timeline, illustrations, and interesting facts.

Alexander Hamilton: A Plan for America is a Level Two I Can Read, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062432902
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Series:	I Can Read Book 2 Series
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	162,006
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sarah Albee is the New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred books for kids, ranging from preschool through middle grade. She writes biographies, history, and science-themed books. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, their three kids, and their dog, Rosie.

Chin Ko is a production designer, visual-development artist, illustrator, and entrepreneur. His work has helped bring to life many animated shorts, feature films, and video games. He is based in Los Angeles, where he lives with his lovely wife and their new child.

Editorial Reviews

This entry in the I Can Read! series makes for a solid introduction to a founding father… Fine painting-like illustrations entice readers and extend the text. Excellent back matter features at time line and extra information, including Hamilton’s views on slavery.

ALA Booklist

2018-03-27
Albee and Ko take their shot at an early-reader biography about Alexander Hamilton.Emergent readers (and their caregivers) familiar with Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical Hamilton will be rewarded with what amounts to an illustrated highlights reel of the founding father's life. Albee opens in medias res by describing Hamilton as "a soldier, a lawyer, and a financial wizard," before the spare text quickly brings readers to Hamilton's Caribbean childhood, noting his father's abandonment, his mother's death, and his determined rise from poverty. He's presented as a trusted adviser to George Washington and rival to Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, with Ko's accompanying digital art depicting him with a smiling man on horseback (Washington), while on the facing page, the two other men scowl. A later spread notes major differences between Jefferson and Hamilton, including acknowledgment that Jefferson enslaved people while "Hamilton was against slavery," but Washington's slave-owner status isn't named, nor is the American Revolution's impact on Indigenous peoples. Personal milestones, such as marriage to Eliza Schuyler, are noted alongside references to his involvement in the war and his work with the nascent American government. While his death occurs on the page, strategies to keep the text within the comprehension of its audience risk undermining other historical content by omitting such terms as "revolution" and the Federalist Papers (though they do appear in backmatter).Solid, if not revolutionary. (Early reader/biography. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews

Read More