George Washington: 9leader of a New Nation

Osborne covers all of Washington's many incarnations in this traditional biography: surveyor, British officer, plantation (and slave) owner, American general, president. She enriches her narrative with accounts of the Revolutionary War, wranglings over the Constitution and musings about Washington's role in American history. He is portrayed as a great man who lived in a unique era: ``It was a time for heroes . . . the time itself seemed to bring forth the greatness of these men.'' Though the reader may not gather a sense of Washington as a person--in spite of copious quotations from diaries, letters and other sources--the details will make this a useful reference. If middle-graders need another biography of Washington (in a somewhat crowded field), this one will do very well. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 9-12. (Aug.)