I am pleased to be reviewing What Would the Founding Fathers Think: A Young American’s Guide to Understanding What Makes Our Nation Great & How We’ve Strayed by David Bowman. Yes, the full title is a mouthful. Fortunately, the rest of the book isn’t that complicated! This fun, easy-to-read history book is designed for preteens and teens. What would the Fouding Fathers think is based on three premises: The USA was & is the greatest nation on Earth, the USA is in serious trouble today, and our kids will inherit the USA and it’s problems in a few short years.
Bowman walks kids through how the country began with the Founding Fathers. He then tackles specific issues of our country’s original design, such as God & Religion, Virtues & Values, People Govern Themselves, and Limited Government. After discussing each of these areas, he addresses the state of the USA if those qualities are eliminated from the functioning of the country. Bowman presents these ideas by having George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison Skyping each other throughout the book. Yes, you read that right. The three giants of our country’s origin join a book-based Skype chat to discuss the issues.
Filled with illustrations that exmplify Bowman (and the Founding Father’s) points, the book is easy to read and easy to follow. With the election coming in just over a month, What Would the Founding Fathers Think is particularly timely.
In our house, Dad took time to read this each evening with our two boys (8 and 4 years old). They both liked the pictures. The youngest didn’t absorb much (if he did, he’s not telling). Our older boy got some of the facts and missed others. However, he’s a bit under the target audience, too. My husband thought the points were well made and was glad that a book was created to teach children about what makes our country great and provide strategies to get back to the original design of this great nation.
Admittedly, this book will not agree with everyone’s viewpoint. I think if nothing else, it might serve as a great discussion piece for families as we move into the election. You can find What Would the Founding Fathers Think at Amazon for $9.59 paperback and $3.99 Kindle.
Happy Reading!
Ordering this right now, thanks!