Written by Jacqueline Jules and illustrated by Jef.

The thirteen ORIGINAL colonies! Together again! One night only!

The children of Forest Lake Elementary School trod the boards in a dramatic reenactment of how the United States Constitution came to be. After the Revolution, the young United States was anything but united. The states acted like thirteen separate countries, with their own governments, laws, and currencies. It took bravery, smarts, and a lot of compromises to create a workable system of government under the new constitution.

Full of facts about our fledgling democracy, the call for a national government, and the Constitutional Convention, this book presents American history with personality, good humor, and energy. This show is not to be missed.

Reviews

"Memorable for the contrast between the melodramatic title and Czekaj's funny cartoon series of popeyed children putting on a low-budget stage play, this account of our Constitutional Convention should leave even less attentive readers with some idea of what the resultant document is all about."-Kirkus Reviews

"The cartoon players sport a Simpsons-style wide-eyed and gape-mouthed zaniness that should keep even middle-schoolers amused, and even the homemade costuming and onstage antics offer hints of individual state positions on various issues--Rhode Island, absent from the Constitutional Convention, is asleep on the boards, while Virginia agonizes over whether she is primarily a Virginian or an American, and the Garden State of New Jersey balances a flower pot on her head." -The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Literature

Awards and Distinctions: Library of Virginia's Whitney and Scott Cardozo Award for Children's Lit, NY Public Library's Children's Books 2009-100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Download a Reader's Theater for Unite or Die.

published by Charlesbridge Publishing