Suitabook

Those rebels, John and Tom

Barbara Kerley

Reading: Read it as both a pair of biographies and a historical account. Pause to distinguish the men’s personal differences from the cause they shared, and check which details your child finds most memorable.
Themes: Different temperaments, shared cause: Adams is described as blunt and argumentative, Jefferson as polite and soft-spoken; both cared deeply about the American colonies and joined forces. The contrast and cooperation make a clear subject for considering how people with different styles can work together; the book's evaluative framing is not established.
Opposition to King George: The men are described as sharing opposition to King George and joining a fight for the colonies' freedom. This sets the biographies within a political struggle, but the book's treatment of that struggle and its consequences remains unclear.
Worth knowing: How that conflict and its harms are depicted is not clear, so you may wish to read alongside your child if that matters to your family.