cover image Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Dutton Books, $17.99 (48pp) ISBN 978-0-525-44610-1

Longfellow's well-known poem never appeared to better advantage: Rand has created a rich rendition of the Revolutionary landscape. And Revere himself is the perfect patriot, rugged and intense as he saddles up, ``Ready to ride and spread the alarm / Through every Middlesex village and farm.'' As Revere rides, the urgency of the pictures inspires the reader to flip the pages at an increasing pace until the dramatic confrontation of the Redcoats and the farmers. If there is any complaint here, it is with Longfellow himself, for rearranging the facts to exclude mention of Revere's fellow riders, Dawes and Prescott. Nevertheless, this is a gem of a lesson about one glorious morning in America's history. Ages 5-9. (Sept.)