THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Infused with humor and a contagious patriotism, newcomer Fink's visual interpretation of the Declaration of Independence will help youngsters read between the sometimes puzzling lines of this monumental document. Fink breaks up this fervent, articulate proclamation into brief, elegantly hand-lettered phrases, which he pairs with etching-like artwork that evokes the period of the document's authorship and elucidates the words' meaning. As the Declaration specifies the colonists' grievances against King George III, the comically hyperbolic cross-hatch illustrations depict inventive symbols for the despised British rule and a range of comical parodies of the monarch. Opposite the statement "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records" is a picture of an elaborate maze, with a building atop a steep cliff at its center and a caption that reads, "Enter here to get to the King's meeting place." On a spread declaring that the king is "a Tyrant,... unfit to be the ruler of a free people," Fink shows an empty throne with a sign announcing "Be back soon. Gone to Class in Advanced Tyranny! Geo III." And with playful anachronism, the illustrator shows Patrick Henry holding a contemporary New Hampshire license plate (bearing the slogan "Live Free or Die" and the tag number "1776") opposite the assertion that "these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States." This clever and inspiring volume concludes with a glossary and chronology of events leading up to the drafting of the Declaration. Ages 10-up. (July)