cover image Yankee Doodle

Yankee Doodle

Gary Chalk. DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), $14.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-1-56458-202-7

From its brief introduction explaining that the popular tune ``Yankee Doodle'' was first sung by British soldiers to mock their Yankee adversaries, this lively book delights as it informs. After an initial spread that displays the music and lyrics for 16 traditional verses of the song, additional, original verses by Chalk and his ``text collaborator,'' Linda Davis, chronicle the American Revolution. The perspective is unorthodox--that of one passionately patriotic mouse (complete with ``Revolutionary Tail'') named, of course, Yankee Doodle. Set in an elegant period script, the spirited, clever rhymes (``Times were hard, the winter cold, / We really took a bruising. / But General George Washington / Was not too keen on losing'') are accompanied by historical data (``the Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place on Breed's Hill''). Chalk's action- and humor-filled illustrations feature a troupe of animals serving as soldiers, with the French represented as frogs and the Germans as pigs. His art provides the crowning touch, creatively combining historical accuracy with child-pleasing whimsy. Ages 4-7. (July)