The Alamo: (We the People (Compass Point Books))

Introduces the events resulting in the Battle of the Alamo.

About the Author :
Michael Burgan has written numerous books for children and young adults during his nearly 20 years as a freelance writer. Many of his books have focused on U.S. history, geography, and the lives of world leaders. Michael has won several awards for his writing, and his graphic novel version of the classic tale Frankenstein (Stone Arch Books) was a Junior Library Guild selection. Michael graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in history. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his cat, Callie.

Review :
The Alamo began as a mission in San Antonio Texas, when Texas was still a part of Mexico. On March 6, 1836, the Alamo would become one of Texas's and the United States' symbols for freedom and independence. The cry, "Remember the Alamo," would be repeated throughout the ages. Michael Berger has written a concise, clear history of the events leading to the siege on the Alamo by Santa Anna and his Mexican army. While many people remember the Alamo for some of the American legends who died there, such as Colonel James Bowie and Davey Crockett, Burgen focuses on the event that occurred at this famous landmark. He includes many of the important details regarding this time in American and Texas history. With simple language and many illustrations and photographs, this volume of the "We the People" series provides young readers with a basic understanding of the Alamo and the famous battle for which it is known, and will be a good addition to any school's nonfiction collection.-- "Children's Literature" This glossy book does a creditable job of bringing cohesion to myriad events revolving around the Texian/Tejano/American/slave racial potpourri living in mercurial Texas at the time. (First Texas was a Spanish province; then the joint Mexican state of Coahuila y Texas, containing a colony headed up by Stephen F. Austin; then a separate state but still under Mexican rule; then, as declared shortly before the Alamo's slaughterous finale, an independent republic for the better part of a decade; and then the 28th American state.) This 38-page summary of the siege of the Alamo has portraits of the principals, maps, photographs, and paintings, all great visual hooks that give young readers glimpses into this legendary story. Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Juan Segu'n, Santa Anna, William B. Travis, and Stephen F. Austin are all here (but the author chronically omits that inseparable middle initial of this last Alamo figure, the man considered to be the Father of Texas). With so much going on that winter, clarity counts so it's unfortunate when, for example, a map of Texas in 1836 uses indistinguishable icons to indicate Texian and Mexican victories. The bottom line, however, is that, short a few flaws, this is a useful, attractive introduction to an essential slice of Texas-and American-history.-- "School Library Journal"