by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 26, 2010

It's the strangest book you'll ever read about America's founding fathers. Lane Smith was the illustrator for Jon Scieszka's "revised" fairy tale, "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs." But in "John, Paul, George and Ben," Smith writes a story himself - this time imagining a funny alternate reality for the patriots behind the American revolution.

The most fascinating thing about the book is its illustrations, which suggest both the grandeur and antiquity of 18th-century American history. There's faded red-and-white stripes on the book's inside front cover, but each portrait of the founding fathers is encircled by a gold-gilt frame. Smith even adds cracks to the grey background behind young George Washington - reminiscent of an oil painting (though he adds Van Gogh-style spirals in the sky behind Paul Revere). Even its title is written in an old-fashioned font - with tall and skinny letters in a grand seraph font, drawn as though their ink had spread across parchment as it dried…

In the same bold font - set like blotchy printer's ink - Smith tells the story of the young patriots. The John in this story is John Hancock, and its Paul is Paul Revere. (The other two, of course, are George Washington and Ben Franklin…And Smith also throws in Thomas Jefferson.) But in Smith's unlikely story, they were all scolded in their childhoods for the very traits that would later make them famous! For example, Hancock's penmanship draws a reprimand from his schoolteacher. "John, c'mon…we don't need to read it from space!"

And young Paul Revere had to shout just to hear over the bells that were constantly ringing in his head, since he was an active member of the bell-ringing club over at Boston's Old North Church. ("Before fun was invented…") This could be embarrassing for customers at the shop where young Revere worked - since he'd bellow out that yes, the store had extra-large underwear - and yes, your pink breeches will be ready soon. "It took many years and a midnight ride for people to finally appreciate his special talent…"

"Everyone except that big-underwear lady. She was still mad…"

The book is funny, though definitely irreverent.  (George Washington not only chops down his father's cherry tree - he also destroys the entire orchard!) And apparently Ben Franklin did more than procure crucial support for the Revolution as an U.S. Ambassador to France. He also annoyed all his boyhood friends with a never-ending series of pithy sayings.  But Lane also can't resist making one last joke - about the Beatles. "Say, you want a revolution?

"Well, John, Paul, George, Ben, and Tom sure did!"

And then at the end of the book, he lists out the myths and realities about the lives of each founding father. And he even provides a two-page spread identifying their real contributions to the American Revolution. Along with a suitably respectful oil painting…

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